Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and working president of National Conference, Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday accused the Centre of dishonouring the conditions under which the formerly princely State acceded to India in 1947.
“Delhi has dishonoured the terms and conditions of the State’s accession to the Union of India,” he said terming the “erosion” of the State’s autonomy guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution and Delhi agreement between his grandfather legendary Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, as a “breach of faith” that, he said, has manifested itself as political turmoil and instability in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr. Abdullah while speaking at the commemorative function held at the NC headquarters here on the first death anniversary of its former general secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed said the Centre will have to honour all the terms and conditions of the accession and reverse the erosions in the State’s autonomy to restore a sense of faith and trust among the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“While Delhi expected the people of J&K to honour the State’s accession to India, it left no stone unturned to violate the terms and conditions of the same accession,” he said adding systematic erosions were engineered by the Centre “to rob the State of its autonomy” which, he said, has created a sense of deep mistrust.
The former Chief Minister said that while one side is expected to honour the agreement, the other side cannot dishonour it. He also said that the NC never abandoned its political struggle for the restoration of autonomy and it will continue to strive for this “just demand”.
He asserted, “Unlike others, National Conference doesn’t believe in rank political expediency at the cost of our ideology and principles. Our flag is our pride. It represents all three regions of the State-Jammu, the Valley and Ladakh- and we will protect our flag with our blood”.
As alliance partners PDP and BJP have failed to form the new government in the State following the death of former Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, on January 7, the NC president and former Union minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah while speaking on the occasion said the State cannot be expected to remain engulfed in political uncertainty.
He said PDP and BJP should either form a government or the Centre should dissolve the State Assembly to pave the way for holding of fresh elections in the State. He said the NC was fully prepared to go again to the people ‘who deserved a chance to elect a popular government’.
“If PDP and BJP cannot offer the State a government despite continuing to be in an alliance, the Assembly should be dissolved without any further delay, providing the people with a chance to elect a new, popular government,” he said.
The Senior Abdullah said the NC will neither interfere into the internal dealings of the PDP-BJP alliance and nor will it bail either of them out from this prevailing situation. “They promised the people of J&K good governance and development and their first year in power has exposed their failure to perform the most basic duties of a government. They have deceived the people of Jammu and Kashmir and continue to be in an alliance for their own, partisan interests”, he alleged.
Omar Abdullah lashing out at PDP said its president Mehbooba Mufti’s recent statement that she was neither capable nor prepared to take on the responsibility of leading the State was factually correct.
“Mehbooba Mufti is right. She is neither capable nor prepared to do justice with this responsibility. That said, what is this prolonged delay about then?” he asked.
He also said that while PDP and BJP continue to profess their unquestionable allegiance to each other and have adequate numbers, their refusal to form the government is strange.
“PDP leaders have publicly declared that the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ is a ‘sacred document’ for them. Sadly, it’s evident that they are completely ignorant about the meaning and connotations of the word ‘sacred’. On one hand they led the people of the State to believe that PDP had sought CBMs from the Central government as a prerequisite to government formation and now senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig has come out to admit that the party has not sought any CBMs from Delhi,” he said adding “Now PDP has publicly admitted that their relationship with BJP continues on the existing arrangement and no fresh demands have been put forth. This is the nature of deception that is being peddled”.
“People are happier under Governor’s rule than they were under the PDP-BJP government”, he asserted adding that apart from those PDP workers “who have personal, illegitimate interests to further and protect, not a single common man wants to return to the hopelessness and indignity that the PDP-BJP government brought along since the first day of its tenure”.
The former Chief Minister said that while PDP promised political packages and economic revolutions in the State, it failed to deliver on a single promise. “If Mehbooba Mufti succeeds in achieving a political package for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, I will be glad to congratulate her. In absence of such a political initiative, any other measure is not only inadequate but also ineffective. We have seen what became of the promised 80,000 crores ‘package’ and how brazenly and shamelessly PDP abandoned the cause of the flood victims”, he said.
The father-son duo and other speakers paid glowing tributes to Mr. Ahmed who was also the foster brother of Senior Abdullah.
