Jammu, June 06: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K Executive Member Raman Suri on Tuesday said that the National Conference (NC) Vice President, who during his tenure as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir allegedly allowed the elected Municipal Corporations of Jammu as well Srinagar besides other urban local bodies to lapse without holding elections to them, today wants assembly elections in the union territory and is describing elections as a matter of right.
Raman Suri said, “Agreed that there is no substitute for elections in a democratic system but the call is to be taken by the Election Commission of India after consultation with the security agencies. Omar Abdullah who is so eager to participate in elections must also explain to the general public and especially his party cadres why he, as chief minister in alliance with the then Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand allowed the elected urban local bodies to lapse and didn’t hold elections to the same.”
“The former chief minister must also let people know why his party chose to boycott the 1996 general elections and panchayat polls of 2018. Was it because these elections were meant to respectively elect a few MPs and lower rank political activists to the Panchayats, and not the Abdullahs themselves? He should also let people know why the member of People’s Alliance Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) Sajjad Lone of People’s Conference accuses NC of being the robbers of 1987 assembly elections?” the BJP leader asked.
Instead of asking the Election Commission about their prerogative or domain, Omar Abdullah should tell people that why there was no peace in Jammu and Kashmir when he or his father was the chief minister. “Why young boys were used as fodder and who used them to throw stones at security forces? He should also tell people why is today’s Kashmir calm and why are people looking for progress and prosperity instead of falling into the trap of Pakistan’s proxy war?” Suri asked.
“Omar Abdullah should himself muster the courage to tell people who rigged the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in 1987 and why politicians like Sajjad Lone, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed or his daughter Mehbooba Mufti always pointed fingers towards NC alone and later chose to join PAGD,” he questioned.
