Srinagar, Oct 08: Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, questioning whether his demand for statehood was intended to kill innocent Kashmiri civilians.
Addressing a news conference, Sharma accused Abdullah of harming innocent civilians during his tenure as Chief Minister.
“I want to remind Kashmiris that if we turn back the pages of history, we will find many fabricated stories told in the name of terrorism. Many people would narrate how they were innocent and killed during Omar Abdullah’s tenure under the guise of counter-terrorism. Do you want statehood to kill innocent Kashmiris? You didn’t eliminate terrorists-you targeted civilians, enforced shutdowns, and closed schools,” Sharma said.
He said that Omar Abdullah harmed civilians and failed to protect people during his rule as Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Wasn’t statehood with National Conference governments between 2008 to 2014 and 1996 to 2008? Wasn’t it with your governments that were in power till 1989 and 1982?” Sharma asked.
He further said that Kashmiris do not want a statehood where political rivals of the National Conference are booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), and parents live in fear about the safety of their school-going children.
Coming down heavily on the National Conference, Sharma accused the party of introducing the PSA and pellet guns.
“You were the ones who introduced pellet guns; you were the ones who imposed the PSA. If we compare the figures, the highest number of innocent civilians were killed during your tenure,” he said.
Sharma praised the Government of India for eliminating terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir without harming civilians.
“Nobody can raise a finger at the Ministry of Home Affairs for harming civilians. The biggest achievement of the MHA is that not a single local youth joined terrorism. It shows that the youth of Kashmir have accepted the policies of the Government of India and want to voice their concerns within a democratic setup,” he said.
He accused Omar Abdullah of misleading and hoodwinking the public in the name of statehood to cover up governance failures.
“If you listen to Omar Abdullah’s speeches-whether on August 15, at public functions, or in institutions-he consistently tries to hoodwink the people of Jammu and Kashmir by claiming they lack power,” Sharma added.
Countering Omar Abdullah’s claims , Sharma said the Lieutenant Governor had approved 97 decisions of the Council of Ministers over the past year.
“Tell me, which file has not been approved by the LG? Which pro-people decisions have been held back? Is it about 200 units of free electricity or 12 LPG cylinders or 10 kilograms of ration, or one lakh jobs?” he asked.
Sharma further accused Abdullah of misleading the public regarding the appointment of the Advocate General and the Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR).
“I have come to know that the file is pending with the CM’s office,” he said, adding that the Chief Minister is sitting on files related to the appointment of the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education and the promotion of engineers. (KNO)
