Omar exhorts Mehbooba to save her political soul from BJP’s hellfire

Jammu: National Conference working president and leader of the opposition in the assembly Omar Abdullah here on Friday exhorted chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to save her political soul from BJP’s hellfire and dared her to choose the path of course correction to fast track the investigations on civilian killings, restore the institutions like District Development Boards and state cabinet, stop building political cadres under the garb of SPO appointments, speed up re-engagement of disengaged police wireless operators and withdraw the SRO 202 implemented wrongly by the previous NC-Congress coalition government headed by Omar himself.
Omar Abdullah during his speech on the motion of grants for the Home department, said that BJP has offered every concession to chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to buy her political soul and dip her down in a river where from she can’t come out. BJP has choosen to remain silent on the failure chief minister in the conduct of Anantnag parliamentary by-elections, attack on Amarnath Yatra, corruption breeding ground, increase in the share of PDP in the coalition ministry and much more.
He sought explanations from the chief minister over the announcement of major policy decisions from the central government, Omar said it was disheartening that announcement for the amnesty to stone pelters was made by Dineshwar Sharma the central governments point man in Jammu and Kashmir. He urged the chief minister to ensure that announcements on major policy decisions come from her and other cabinet ministers but not from the central government as the same would restore the institutional credibility of the chief minister and the state cabinet.
Hitting out at chief minister for bulldozing her political agenda comprising self rule, dual currency, troop withdrawal and troop reduction, Omar said that though Pakistan is responsible for lot of troubles the people of Jammu and Kashmir are facing but that country can’t be blamed for the mess the rulers in Jammu and Kashmir have themselves created and now opportunity for course correction has come to Mehbooba Mufti the incumbent chief minister of the state.
Questioning the Mehbooba government’s way of running the top institutions of the state like district development boards and the state cabinet, Omar said the transfers of top officials ordered through rotation of files without the cabinet has eroded the sanctity of the cabinet and district development boards have been bypassed by taking the route of public darbars for implementation of major decisions which as per the institutional arrangement have to be taken by the district development boards.
Omar also questioned the moral and political right of the chief minister to take on board the defeated candidates and ex-MLA’s of his party and bypass the sitting MLA’s of the opposition parties during public darbars and said that he was offered 20 out of 50 fair price shops by a top CAPD officer in his constituency and the ex-MLA in that constituency (Beerwah) was offered 50 fair price shops.
Questioning the chief minister for pledging to take the investigation of Shopian killings to logical conclusion, Omar exhorted chief minister to start investigations through a special investigation team (SIT) to probe FIR’s filed in case of army firing that resulted in the killing of five civilians.
Reminding chief minister that she would always cry much over the killing of Shopian woman in 2009 and brought people on the streets to protest the inaction of the government, Omar Abdullah said how can the opposition believe the chief minister on the promise of taking the investigation to logical conclusions when out of 50 requests about the excesses of paramilitaries and army not even a single case was taken on priority and resolved by the central government. Omar said so far “we don’t have seen any headway in the investigation of civilian killings.
Demanding the presentation of a medical record of the Bakerwal minor girl murdered in Kathua district, Omar exhorted chief minister to fast track the investigation to ensure that guilty are punished so that such shameful incidents don’t reoccur in any part of the state.
Claiming that he himself had taken the case of Machil encounter to a decisive stage but the same has gone out of focus under the present government, Omar said “I myself had persuaded then central government to take action against one CRPF man for a punishable offence”.
Raising the issue of tying a civilian Farooq Dar to a jeep by army during parliamentary by-polls in Budgam district, Omar sought clarifications from the chief minister on the compensation that was to be offered to the civilian.
Linking the issue with the government plans of holding Panchayat polls in the state, Omar said “can panchayat polls be held in a situation that prevails in Kashmir right now.
Omar sought categorical clarification from the chief minister on second time stone pelters and wanted to know who are the second time stone pelters-those arrested in 2010 and rearrested in 2016 or those arrested in 2016 more than one time.
Alleging that the SPOs were appointed on political lines with the intent of building cadres for the ruling PDP-BJP combine, Omar Abdullah sought transparency in the appointment of SPOs.
Questioning the working of planning department, Omar claimed that against the proposed 600 crores plan the government has only 60 crores at its disposal and asked the government to explain where from the remaining 540 crores will come.
Asking the government to fast track the process of the reengagement of the disengaged police wireless operators and withdraw SRO 202 to give new recruits the benefit of full salary, Omar told the chief minister that the steps would give big relief to the youth hunting for government jobs.
Expressing dismay over the delay in the implementation of a government decision on KPS cadre review, Omar said the government decision on KPS cadre review is restricted to paper work and is yet to be implemented by the concerned quarters. He advised the chief minister to implement the decision on cadre review immediately. He also exhorted the chief minister to seek the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the restoration of the allocation of 50% quota of the All India Services of J&K cadre to ensure the induction of more and more locals in the civil and police administration of the State.