Srinagar, Sept 02: The National Conference (NC) on Tuesday hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), dismissing its criticism over flood relief and rehabilitation efforts as a “desperate deflection from the saffron party’s own failures”.
Responding to BJP leader Sunil Sharma’s remarks, NC State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the BJP should rise to the occasion instead of indulging in blame games. “Pointing fingers won’t hide the fact that the BJP has been missing in action,” he said in a statement issued here, adding, “Their leadership vanished when people needed them the most.”
Dar said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his cabinet have been on the ground, leading from the front in flood-hit areas like Ramban, Kishtwar, Kathua, Jammu and Srinagar. “CM Omar Abdullah has been wading through floodwaters and coordinating relief operations, whereas BJP leaders are more interested in scoring brownie points,” he said.
Imran further revealed that it was CM Abdullah who was in constant touch with the central government ever since the weather vagaries struck the Jammu and Kashmir areas. “Instead of lobbying for relief packages in Delhi, BJP leadership here is more interested in photo ops,” he said.
On the BJP’s governance record, the NC spokesperson said, “After ruling the Centre for a decade and exercising indirect control over J&K, what do they have to show? Sinking roads, broken infrastructure, and a city submerged under their so-called ‘Smart City’ project. Why are Jammu and Srinagar still so vulnerable after ten years of BJP rule? What happened to all the promises, projects, and packages?”
Imran said Omar Abdullah’s crisis leadership has been recognised nationally. “He doesn’t need validation from the BJP. The people saw who stood by them and who was there just to click pictures,” he said.
