Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari has warned Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to roll back a recent power tariff hike, invoking the departure of Omar’s father, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, from the region during the insurgency of the 1990s.
Speaking at a rally in Srinagar’s Nishat area, Bukhari demanded that the government revoke the 6.83% increase in electricity tariffs and warned of public backlash if the decision was not reversed.
“Take this order back. I am speaking decently. If we rise, even India cannot save you. Ask your father. Was India able to save him in 1990?” Bukhari said, referring to Farooq Abdullah’s departure for London during the early years of the insurgency.
Bukhari also criticised separatist leaders of the 1990s, accusing them of lacking the courage to engage with New Delhi despite widespread public support at the time.
The Apni Party leader separately accused Omar Abdullah of wrongdoing related to the Centaur Lake View Hotel in Srinagar, asking the chief minister to clarify allegations concerning the property’s transfer.
The hotel, formerly operated by the Hotel Corporation of India, a subsidiary of the erstwhile state-owned Air India, was taken over by Leela Palaces Hotels and Resorts on a 60-year lease in February.
Bukhari served as finance minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government before leaving the People’s Democratic Party in 2018 after the BJP withdrew support from the Mehbooba Mufti-led administration.
He later formed the Apni Party and was among several Kashmiri political leaders who engaged with New Delhi following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. His party is credited for securing domilice law for Jammu and Kashmir after its special status was revoved in August 2019.
Omar Abdullah’s government has faced criticism over the electricity tariff increase, particularly after the National Conference had promised 200 units of free electricity in its election campaign.
The chief minister has said there would be no further increase in power tariffs and that his government would fulfil its election commitments over the next three-and-a-half years.
