Jammu, Dec 02: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the “double engine” government’s policies have pushed the people of Jammu and Kashmir into the “bottomless abyss of miseries”.
Addressing a mega workers convention at Nowshera, Jammu, Omar commented on the Central government’s policies vis-e-vis Jammu and Kashmir, saying, “It was perhaps the first government at the Centre that does not want to see democracy flourish in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“It’s perhaps for the first time since 1990 that I have seen a government at the Centre which does not want to see democracy flourish in Jammu and Kashmir. Be it Gowda’s government, Gujral’s government, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government or Dr Manmohan Singh’s government, all of them always made efforts to help democracy take root in Jammu and Kashmir. However, it’s for the first time in these decades that we are seeing a government which appears completely disinterested in having a democratically elected setup in J&K,” he said.
Questioning the reasons as to why democracy was not allowed in Jammu & Kashmir, the former chief minister said that elsewhere in the country elections to assemblies are being held after the completion of their term but in Jammu and Kashmir the term of Panchayats & ULBs has completed but elections for the new bodies is nowhere in sight.
“The term of our assembly ended in 2018 and now 2023 is about to end but there is no sign of restoration of democracy. What is the reason behind denying us a duly elected government? Is this because the people of J&K have kept the flame of Hindu-Muslim unity intact? Is this because of our profound commitment towards the ideals of secularism? Efforts to inject hatred in us are underway because they have miserably failed to deliver. But our resolve to stay united should not deter come what may. This country belongs to every one of us and it’s with unity that we can taste the fruits of development and progress,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the government, the NC leader said, “The so-called double-engine government has pushed the people into a bottomless abyss of morass and miseries. Skyrocketing inflation, soaring unemployment, ration shortage and exorbitant hike in tariffs have pushed the people to the wall.”
