Day after governor NN Vohra took a veiled dig at the government for its alleged failure on the governance front, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that the present dispensation has “failed on all fronts.”
Speaking during motion of thanks on the governor’s address in the Assembly, Omar referred to the governor’s speech at a function here on Monday and launched a scathing attack on the PDP-BJP government. The governor had urged the government to “perk up” its performance on the governance front and complete the developmental works “expeditiously.”
“The governor’s open criticism is a proof that the present government has failed to deliver during its tenure. Earlier, governor sahab gave his address to a joint session and spoke whatever was written in the address prepared by the government,” Omar said.
“The governor spoke in the same town (Jammu) yesterday at the Zorawar Singh auditorium and spoke his heart out there. He spoke what I and my opposition members want to speak. Even some ruling party members agree to it but are bound to maintain silence,” he said.
Omar said that the governor has pointed out that the administration should focus on service delivery system as it has failed to come up to the expectations of the people.
“The governor would have used the same language in his joint address had he been allowed to do so,” Omar said.
The former chief minister said that the situation in the state had “drastically deteriorated” since the PDP-BJP government assumed power.
The government’s promise of development is nowhere to be seen, he said.
“Talk of any sector, your government has failed to bring any improvement therein,” Omar said, addressing the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti who was present in the House.
He said that being in chair for three years has significance as was proved by late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed when he became the chief minister of J&K for the first time.
“Mufti sahib was in chair only for three years, but took credit of things he did in his tenure. Even if the initiatives were taken by his predecessor, he would cut the ribbon and take credit,” Omar said.
“The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was done by New Delhi and Pakistan, but he (Mufti) took its credit. The process for Mughal Road construction was started by Farooq Abdulah sahib and Mufti got the credit because people believed that it was done by Mufti sahib,” he said.
He said that Mufti Muhammad Sayeed was able to take credit of things he did in his three-year tenure and was “able to sell it in public.”
“I remember when Mufti sahib made gas turbines functional to overcome power crisis. Gas turbines are still there, but you don’t make them functional to overcome the power crisis this time,” he said.
Omar compared the PDP-Congress alliance with the present coalition government and said that the present dispensation has “failed to work” for betterment of the people.
“When we compare your three years with the PDP-Congress alliance, you will lose every right to claim that you worked for the betterment of people,” he said.
In his 38-minute speech, Omar said that Mehbooba Mufti leveled allegations against him including “creating Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani”, but she has apparently no realisation about how many youth picked up the arms during her tenure.
“You made allegations against me that I was responsible for (creation of) Burhan Wani. But do you realise how many Burhan Wanis were created during your tenure in the government? If I have one allegation, how many you have…you must realisation of this thing,” Omar said.
“You feel proud over killing of 200 militants. But you should realise that more youth joined militancy in your government without any trainings. Reports are that a scholar from Aligarh Muslim University scholar has joined Hizb as well,” he said.
He said that the present coalition’s “mis-governance” forced youth to become fidayeen (suicide attackers).
“Earlier, fidayeen would come from Pakistan and Afghanistan but now our youth become fidayeen and the blame goes on your government,” Omar told Mehbooba.
He castigated the government and said that it was “using bloodshed” to “remain in good books of both the sides.”
“Your DG says killing of 200 militants is a success and your chief spokesman says that there is no harm in expressing sympathy over the militants who are killed. You want to keep both sides happy because you first kill and then extend sympathy to keep another side happy,” he said.
Omar lambasted the government for “reviving culture of cordon-and-search operations (CASOs)” in Kashmir and said that the government forces were made targets of IED blasts.
“Security forces have become a target of IEDs at a when we had almost forgotten about it. The government revived crackdowns in the name of CASOs when the people had lost its fear,” he said, and asked the government not to compare the situation of 2017 with 2016 but the years before that.
“We admit that 2017 is peaceful than 2016 but compare it with 2011, 2012 and 2013 and judge whether the situation has improved or deteriorated,” he said.
Omar castigated the government for its “failure” to conduct the parliamentary polls in southern Kashmir areas, saying the government “surrendered before the separatist leadership and other powers (without naming anyone), who were against elections from 1996.”
“You made records of your wrongdoings. It has happened for the first time that parliamentary elections couldn’t be held by a government. The Hurriyat and other powers never wanted elections here since 1996. They tried to disrupt elections here but this is for the first time that the government surrendered and they won,” Omar said.
“When you can’t hold elections and can’t provide people a right to vote, you openly accept defeat and you admit that you could not fulfill the constitutional responsibility,” he said.
Omar said that BJP members would have burnt effigies of the chief minister had they not been a part of the government.
“BJP members are forcibly silent on this because they are a party to the failures of the government. If the Lok Sabha elections were postponed by any other government, they (BJP) would have burnt effigies of the chief minister, but now it is outcome of your own incompetence and incapability and you are silent,” he said.
The former chief minister told the House that the government’s decision to hold panchayat elections in J&K will affect the tourist season in the state. He said that hoteliers didn’t see any inflow of tourists during 2016 and 2017 “but I pray to God that the same should not happen in 2018.”
“I don’t know whether you will be able to hold these polls and reality is that I know you are not ready to hold panchayat polls but you are doing it under compulsion,” he said.
Questioning the “actual position” of the government of India’s “special representative” on Kashmir dialogue Dineshwar Sharma, the former chief minister said that there was no clarity in his mandate.
“We even don’t know who he is? Is he an interlocutor or a special representative? MoS Jitendra Singh calls him a spokesman,” Omar said, adding that it’s not the job of Sharma to improve transformers and take care of such small issues.
The job of the representative should be to discuss major issues with the actual stakeholders, but he is not clear with his mandate, Omar said.
He said that the finance minister will have to go the RBI to “seek mercies” to clear J&K Bank loans.
Castigating the government for its failure to control traffic jams, Omar said that it kept only one motorable bridge in Srinagar and converted other bridges into footbridges.
“Zero bridge was for small vehicles but they converted it into a footbridge. We planned to construct another bridge near presentation convent school to reduce traffic rush near Radio Kashmir chowk but they converted it into footbridge,” he said.
Hinting at 2019 general elections, Omar cautioned that the coalition government has only 2018 available with it to work for the betterment of people.
“You will be in chair for three years but there will be no delivery as 2019 elections will be held in India and it will take time to settle things and then you will be busy with the state elections,” he said.
Omar asked Mehbooba to reveal what she as a chief minister will leave in legacy for the new chief minister.
“Tell us how you will utilise this one year. Every new chief minister gets something in legacy from his or her predecessor,” he said.