Srinagar, Sep 15 (KNO): "I have faith in my MLAs. I am not afraid that they will move," Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday, asserting full confidence in his legislators while hitting back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its criticism of the seven-day Assembly session and taking a dig at his critics.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at SKICC here, the Chief Minister, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said he was not worried about his MLAs switching sides.
On the BJP's criticism of the seven-day Assembly session, Omar questioned how the government could be accused of being "non-serious" when the House was functioning throughout the day.
"What is non-serious about it? It's a seven-day session. It would have been non-serious if we had followed the path shown by the BJP, where they have held one- or two-day sessions in their states," he said.
Abdullah said the government was regularly present in the Assembly and participating in its proceedings. "We sit in the Assembly from morning and leave in the evening. There is no such day when we ourselves are not present in the Assembly," he said.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, the Chief Minister said its members were "hardly seen in Parliament" and questioned their right to accuse the J&K government of being non-serious.
"These people never come to Parliament. They are never seen in Parliament," he said. "Look at Parliament. Look at who sits for how long. Then you tell me who is taking it seriously and who is not."
The CM further said he would not respond to every statement made by his political opponents. "I would respond selectively rather than engage in a daily war of words," he said.
"Don't expect me to answer every statement. You said it today; now I will react to the next statement after a month. I will react to one of their statements every month. Not every day," he said.
Taking a dig at his critics, Omar said some commentators had turned against his government after failing to receive government jobs or accommodation. "I didn't give them a job in my government, and now they start writing. Here they are, commentators who don't get a government house, so they use social media against the government," he said.
"If I had given them a flat in Jawahar Nagar, would they have dared to write like this?" the CM asked, adding that he was not bothered by such "selfishness".
Earlier, addressing the appointment-order distribution function for newly selected officers, Abdullah said a new batch of JKAS and Accounts Gazetted Service officers had joined the J&K administration.
He said officers would spend the next 20–30 years of their careers in public service and expressed hope that this period would be used properly for serving the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The appointment, the Chief Minister said, marked a new beginning for the officers. He urged them to discharge their responsibilities with commitment and integrity—(KNO)