Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that PDP declined his offer of unconditional support in 2014, forming an ill-fated alliance with BJP, which eventually led to abrogation of Article 370.
He said after his party was rendered weak after the 2014 elections, he went to Mufti Mohammad Syed to extend unconditional outside support for forming the government.
Omar Abdullah remarked, “They took advantage of our fundamental weakness. I knew that was possible. That’s why after the 2014 election, I extended a hand of friendship towards Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. I told him that the path you are choosing will prove to be very dangerous for Jammu and Kashmir. We will find it very difficult to survive after this decision. I assured him that he should not be under the false impression that I have a lust for power. I sat in the CM’s chair for 6 years”.
He elaborated, “I have no greed for power. Neither do my associates want to be Ministers. We don’t want to be Rajya Sabha members or MLCs. We will extend unconditional support to you. You form the government but at least don’t bring those people (in power) whose intentions about this region are not good. But at that time, they had their own compulsions. They took a different decision.”
Mufti had his compulsions and took a decision, he said and referred to a famous couplet ‘ye jabr bhi dekha hai, taarikh ki nazron ne, lamhon ne Khata Ki Thi, sadiyon ne saza payi’ (much injustice has been seen by the eyes of history/when for a mistake made by a moment, centuries were punished).
“We do not know how long we have to suffer for that decision,” Omar said.
Targeting the Centre, he said all its claims that the revocation of the Article 370 will bring peace, development, investment, jobs and end militancy have proved false.
“Just tell me one thing which you have achieved in the past nearly two and a half years”, he asked and said “we get tired of highlighting the developmental works done by us till 2018 but they were unable carry forward the development and even failed to depute officers to new blocks, tehsils, sub-divisions created by our government to bring governance closer to the public.”
Omar asked the people to support the National Conference and make it further strong to help “reverse the changes which were forced on the people of Jammu and Kashmir” on August 5, 2019 with the abrogation of the Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories.
In a reference to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s statement that his administration is working for the welfare of all the people of the union territory, and not just a select few, Omar said, “I do not see it happening. What we see is that this government is only for the benefit of BJP and a few leaders of some Kashmir-based parties.”