Stating that agricultural land is not protected as claimed by the Government under new land laws, former Chief Minister and Vice-President National Conference, Omar Abdullah, today said that they had cautioned people that road to Kashmir passes through Jammu and outsiders will buy their land if special status was abrogated.
“August 5, 2019, was the biggest damaging decision for J&K. Today our land is also not safe. It was because of this reason we repeatedly had cautioned Jammu people in the past,” Omar Abdullah said at the National Conference Jammu headquarters.
“We had cautioned that to reach Kashmir, the road passes through Jammu. Outsiders will come to Jammu and they will buy lands in Jammu first and then they will go to Kashmir,” he said.
“That is why the BJP leaders kept their mobiles switched off because they have no answers. They might have heard something else and assured protection to land, job and scholarship.”
He questioned claims of the Government that agricultural land is protected under the new land laws.
“It has been clearly mentioned in the new land law that agricultural land can be sold by converting it into non-agricultural and this has been mentioned in that order (new land laws),” he said.
Referring to world famous Basmati rice, he said: “The RS Pura farmers also do not know whether they will be owner of their land or not by next year. Prior to August 5, we had protected land, jobs and scholarships. It is shocking that the same BJP speaks differently in other states of the country. Like in Haryana, they have reserved 75% percent of jobs for local residents. When we had the same laws, they tagged us anti-national and questioned that one country cannot have two laws. I wish to see J&K people getting jobs in Haryana.”
Criticising BJP’s propaganda, Omar Abdullah said, “Revenge was taken from the people of J&K by abrogating special status because they did not support BJP in fulfilling mission 44 in 2014.”
“Art 370 was in Indian Constitution, not in Pakistan’s. Similarly, Art 35A was also in this country’s Constitution. It was the foundation of special status through which J&K acceded with India, if this foundation would not have been laid, the structure would not have stood.”
“We get many phone calls from Jammu that they stand with us but they cannot speak up. We will fight for the rights of the people. We are fighting to save and restore our future and identity. If it is not saved, nothing will be saved. What we will give to our children, if we could not have a piece of land,” he said.
“This fight is not the fight of religion or a party, but it is a fight of all the people of J&K. Some will fight openly and some will support from behind. We will not step back from this fight till the achievement of the targets i.e. restoration of special status,” Omar said.
“It was all part of propaganda that if special status is removed all illness of J&K will be treated. Today, one year-and-three months have passed, which illness have you treated? Where is the development which was promised to the people of J&K?”
‘MANY YOUTH JOINING MILITANCY IN COMPARISON TO PAST’
“However, I can tell you that those people who had anti-India ideology prior to the revocation of special status, have gone far away from you (GoI) after the August 5 decision. The youth whom we were trying to bring close to the nation in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 but they have gone away from you (the nation),” he said.
“There were less number of youth joining militancy like one or two in a year, but presently the number has increased,” he said.
Mocking at the much-hyped investment summit for J&K, he said: “At present, we have not seen any new developmental project. You (LG) are inaugurating projects started by the National Conference or PDP or Congress Governments. Show us something new.”