Srinagar, Apr 7: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that he was nominated as the working president of the National Conference as his father Dr Farooq Abdullah was unable to devote much time towards the party affairs.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Omar said, “Dr Sahib took the decision to nominate me as the working president as he was unable to devote much time towards the party affairs in the state due to his pre-engagements as the union minister.”
“We have completed more than half of our term. We have to ensure that we reach out to the people much ahead of polls. We have to reenergize the party cadres,” he said.
Asked whether his nomination as a working president of the party is a step towards addressing resentment among the grass root NC cadres, Omar said, “Resentment is a strong word. I believe we need to address the expectations of our workers. I am planning to travel extensively and want to reach out to every nook and corner of the state so that we are able to get the exact feedback from our cadres.”
Asked about the appointment of his uncle Dr Mustafa Kamaal as the Additional General Secretary, Omar said, “Before appointing him (Dr Kamaal) Dr Sahib had a threadbare discussion with him. He was told that his responsibility will be to strengthen the party.”
Meanwhile, Dr Mustafa Kamaal thanked the party leadership for again appointing him as additional general secretary of the party. He also welcomed the appointment of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as working president of the party. “Party has again maintained faith and confidence in me. I will use all my political experience to live up to the expectation of the party and the common people,” Dr Kamaal said in a statement.
He said that he would work in close coordination with the entire NC leadership to strengthen the party at the grass root level.
Pertinently, Dr Kamaal was appointed as Additional General Secretary and party Chief Spokesman in September 2011 following the political storm that erupted in the state over the mysterious death of a NC activist Haji Yousuf.
After Dr Kamaal was elevated to the key positions, he had launched scathing attacks on Army and Congress. He had accused Army of being involved in grenade attacks in the Valley for sabotaging the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s move to get Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) revoked from the state.
He took New Delhi head on during his brief stint and blamed it for the miseries faced by Kashmiris. However, he was asked to step down in October 2011 after he remarked that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had no role in running the government in Jammu and Kashmir. Though the statement was withdrawn by the party later, but it put a lid on the Dr Kamaal’s brief stint.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST