Kulgam, Mar 18 (KNO): National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday strongly criticised the Jammu and Kashmir administration, accusing it of obstructing the conduct of assembly elections in the union territory. He further rejected the reports about the end of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) alliance, saying that the amalgam is “intact and alive”.
Addressing a press conference during the launch of his party's election campaign for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency, Omar, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said, “The J&K administration does not want to hand over power to the people. The current government wants to continue ruling like uncrowned kings.”
Expressing disappointment over the delayed assembly elections, he said, “We wanted elections along with Lok Sabha elections. But, this did not happen. The present government of Jammu and Kashmir interfered in this because they do not want to hand over power to the people again.”
Abdullah pointed out the contradictions in the government's stance regarding the security situation, saying, “Earlier, the BJP government claimed that the situation is normal, but when assembly elections are proposed, an atmosphere of insecurity is created.”
Regarding the Election Commission's responsibility to conduct assembly elections before the Supreme Court's deadline of September 30, Abdullah said there is a need for timely elections. "The Chief Election Commissioner has also stated that elections will be held before the deadline," he said.
Responding to concerns about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the NC leader said, “Even if we complain against the use of EVMs in elections, they will still be used as the ECI has again banned the use of paper ballots.”
Addressing the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Abdullah criticised the BJP's “discriminatory” policies, saying, "CAA is not just against Muslims but there are many other minorities who have been kept out of its ambit.”
The NC Vice President said that the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP’s) objective in delimiting parliamentary constituencies in Jammu & Kashmir is “divide and rule”. “Delimitation was done in the same way as the British did, divide and rule. That is what is being done here. Kashmir is being fought from Jammu, Hindus from Muslims, and Gujjars from the mountains. The aim is to achieve success in south Kashmir. People are not stupid. They know the BJP's approach in the rest of the country,” he said.
Regarding the status of the PAGD, Omar clarified, “The alliance remains intact. We run our own separate parties. Today, I'm talking to you personally does that mean there is no PAGD? It is standing and they will meet in a day or two.”
On the question of candidate announcements, Abdullah assured that the party would announce candidates at the appropriate time.
Addressing the electoral bonds controversy, he said there is a disparity in funding between his party and the BJP. “A friend of mine gave us a bond of Rs 50 lakh to run the party. It is Rs 50 lakh versus Rs 6,900 crore. There is no comparison," he said—(KNO)