Art 370, Art 35-A crucial for safeguarding future of our coming generations: Omar

Shopian: Asserting that Article 370 and Article 35-A are of utmost importance for safe and secure future of younger generation in J&K and reiterating his commitment to scrap draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) if his party is voted to power, the National Conference (NC) Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that any attack on the special constitutional position of state will have far reaching and dire consequences.
Addressing a public meet at circuit house in this south Kashmir district on Tuesday, Mr Abdullah, who is the former chief minister of the state, said, “The much illustrious land to tiller stride made by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah which made the poor peasantry of our state the rightful owners of the land which they worked upon was only possible due to Art 370, Art 35-A. However any attack on the articles will reverse back the situation to pre 1947 era. Our people would eventually cease to be the rightful owners of their land, they would cease to be the soles beneficiaries of various scholarship programs and jobs offered in the government sector.”
“Therefore the fight we are fighting on roads or in Supreme Court has to be efficiently fought in the country’s highest house, the Lok Sabah. For that purpose we ought to have a voice representing us who can effectively put forth the case of our state and fight the forces as are hell-bent to destroy our identity. For the same purpose, people of south Kashmir have to repose their faith in Masoodi Sahib and send him to parliament with a thumping winning margin. The people of Baramulla parliamentary constituency have already chosen Mr Lone to accompany Dr Farooq Abdullah to parliament now it is the turn of south Kashmir to elect Mr Masoodi so that he could be a party of team headed by Dr Abdullah in Parliament,” he said.
The NC Vice President alleged that the tribal population of the state would also not escape the dire consequences of any attack on the special status of the state. “You won’t be able to draw your sustenance from forests. When we talk of saving Art 370, Art 35-A, we are talking about our future, our very existence. So it is imperative for you to strengthen the hands of NC candidate for Anantnag constituency Masoodi Sahib. He has the necessary political acumen to deal with the situation. A legal luminary, he is known for his pronounced judgments on Art 370. He far exceeds other candidates which are in the fray, in terms of his acquaintance with legal aspects of Art 370, Art 35-A,” he said.
Accusing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti for shedding crocodile tears on the miseries of people, he said, “Had PDP president and the Ex-Chief minister shed tears when our youth were devoured upon in 2016, it would have had any impact. One may inquire from her as to where she was her concern for people when the people of Kashmir were subjected to worst of human rights violations, killings, blinding and much more. It was during her tenure that people were used as human shield; where her sympathy and empathy was for those who were blinded, bruised during her tenure. People are the good judge of character of PDP and its stint in power.”
“When enjoying the benefits of power, she had bolted her mouth. People who had voted for her, and reposed their faith in her were dejected by her changed outlook. People still remember how sordidly she mocked the death and misery of hundreds of families who had to shoulder the coffins of their beloved, with her milk and Toffee remarks. People remember how appallingly she had asserted that the guns of security forces aren’t for display but action. She shamelessly stuck to her chair when the youth who had voted for her were being fired at,” he alleged.
Mr Abdullah asked how can people trust her for the protection of Art 370, Art 35-A given the fact she was the one who implemented SARFAESI, NFSA, GST in the state. “What vital was left of our autonomy in terms of fiscal autonomy was also surrounded by PDP before BJP for the lust of power. Today our people are hankering for ration, who is to be blamed for it? Who is to be blamed for the soaring prices of cooking gas and other edibles? Ever single house hold item ranging from cooking gas to diesel and petrol have become dearer now, who is to be blamed? PDP self-importantly chose to berate, belittle the mandate of people which especially the people of south Kashmir had given her. It is the south Kashmir which bore the brunt of her deceitful politics. She failed to deliver on every single promise she made during 2014 election campaign trail. She deceived the people on Agenda of alliance,” he further alleged.
Reiterating his clarion call of doing away with the Public Safety Act (PSA) from the state, he said, “I have taken an undertaking that once in power, my government will bid good bye to PSA. We will make amends to the wrong committed by former BJP-PDP regime. The party is privy to the problem of impending KCC loans; we will find means and ways to bring respite to the people in that direction also.”
Mr Abdullah further alleged that the development and infrastructure augmentation has been the primary casualty of PDP’s embrace with BJP. “What good was achieved in south Kashmir in terms of infrastructure building was done in my government until 2014. We didn’t saw any vital project coming up in Shopian during the PDP-BJP led coalition government. The mini secretariat, Fruit Mandi all came up during national conference led government. It was during our government that the people saw a head way in increasing road connectivity, building bridges and improvement in power related infrastructure. However the past four years saw no head way in development related projects in the state, Shopian being no exception to it,” he alleged.