Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the statehood protest in Delhi was just a beginning and not the end and that the party will continue reminding the Centre of its commitments and will not compromise on its political agenda to appease the BJP.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, a day after the statehood protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, CM Omar, said the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had passed a resolution seeking restoration of autonomy, but the move was deliberately misrepresented.
“When the Assembly passed the autonomy resolution, it was falsely portrayed as an attempt to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India or merge it with Pakistan. These allegations were made only to discredit our political struggle. We completely reject such propaganda,” he said.
He alleged that the Centre was unhappy with the Assembly resolution and subsequently encouraged the emergence of new political formations to weaken the voice of Jammu & Kashmir.
He said even today, the same effort continues to divide and weaken the people’s voice.
He also said the objective behind Delhi protest was to remind the Centre of its commitments made to the people of Jammu & Kashmir. “We went to Delhi to remind the Centre of the promises it made to Jammu & Kashmir. We invited all political parties because this is not the issue of the National Conference alone, it is the issue of the entire Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.
CM Omar also took a swipe at the regional parties, saying that some not only stayed away but also mocked the NC’s initiative. “Some parties neither joined us nor made any effort of their own. Instead, they ridiculed our campaign. I am not worried about how the Centre reacts to our protest, but I am disappointed with those who claim to be well-wishers of Jammu and Kashmir and forget that concern whenever such moments arrive,” he said.
Responding to criticism that the National Conference was no longer speaking about Article 370 or special status, Omar said the party had never abandoned its core agenda.
“People ask why we are not talking about Article 370 or special status. Tell me, when did we ever abandon that agenda? When others discarded their own agenda to shake hands with PM Modi and the BJP, we stood firmly by ours,” he said.
Omar said the larger issue was restoration of statehood and the constitutional relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre.
“People say bring back Article 370 or special status. I ask them, without statehood what meaning will Article 370 or Article 371 have? Whether it is called Article 370 or by any other name, the real issue is the constitutional sharing of powers between Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre,” he said.
He said such power-sharing was possible only when Jammu and Kashmir regains statehood.
Taking a swipe at rival parties, Omar accused them of avoiding confrontation with the BJP. “Those who do not want to upset the BJP stayed inside their homes, posting tweets and using social media. The people of Jammu & Kashmir have now seen who is prepared to fight on the ground and who prefers to remain behind a mobile phone,” he said.
He also said the party would soon announce its future course of action. “Delhi protst was just a beginning and not the end. The next phase and its form will be decided at the organisational level under the leadership of Dr Farooq Abdullah. This struggle will continue and there will be no slackening from our side. We will keep reminding the Centre of its commitments,” he said.
