Srinagar, Sep 25: Former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday slammed the Government of India's decision to send a foreign delegation to Jammu & Kashmir on polling day, calling it an attempt to create a false impression of normalcy in the region.
Addressing a public rally, Omar questioned the logic behind sending foreign delegations to Kashmir, despite the government's claims that the issue is an internal matter.
“If the Jammu and Kashmir issue is truly internal, what's the purpose of sending foreign delegations here? It's only to create an illusion of peace and normalcy, which is not the reality on the ground,” he said.
The National Conference (NC) vice president, who cast his vote along with his two sons at the Ram Munshi polling booth in Srinagar, accused the government of making life difficult for common Kashmiris.
He said that despite the hardships, people are participating in elections in defiance of the government's attempts to suppress them. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir are not voting because they are happy with the Centre, but are voting in defiance of hardships and against the atrocities of the government in the past seven years,” he said, adding, “The government has left no stone unturned to make life difficult for the common Kashmiris.”
Abdullah warned that if the NC or its alliance does not form the next government after the upcoming elections, there is a high possibility that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will seize the opportunity.
“If the BJP forms the government, they might use it to pass an ordinance claiming that people of Jammu & Kashmir have accepted the abrogation of Article 370 and all decisions made since August 5, 2019,” he said.
Omar asserted that if people are indeed happy with the abrogation of Article 370 and the current situation in the region, it will be reflected in the upcoming election results.
The former CM said every candidate of any political party contests elections to win and that NC has the same expectation.
“We expect more and more votes in favour of NC. Wherever NC is not contesting, we hope our alliance partner Indian National Congress (INC) will get votes there,” he said
