Top National Conference leader and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying that Jammu & Kashmir’s accession with the Union of India is in fact the contradiction of his own words he mouthed during his unforgettable remarks over Kashmir issue on the floor of the Lok Sabha almost a decade ago. Omar can’t withdraw his remark over Kashmir issued made by him as Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha the house of representatives in the parliament as every word spoken by any parliament member in Lok Sabha and Rajaya becomes part of the official records in the parliament. Declaring accession conditional on the floor of Lok Sabha a decade ago can’t be termed as an accidental remark made by Omar Abdullah out of an emotional outburst but declaring Kashmir’s accession with India final in the post Article 370 abrogation scenario just to contradict his own remarks made by him in the parliament could be his compulsion for contesting an election for “Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory (J&K UT)” Assembly which the central government plans to hold after carrying out a process for delimitation of assembly constituencies in coming months. Return to power may have been easy for his Grandpa late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah after 22 years of “ political widerness” way back in the year 1975 and his father Farooq Abdullah after seven years of sojourn in London in 1996 but fight to return to power after the withdrawal of special status and statehood to Jammu & Kashmir won’t be as easy for Omar Abdullah as it was for his grandpa Sheikh Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah . Surely the dice is loaded against Abdullahs’, Muftis’ and leaders of all other regional mainstream parties of Jammu & Kashmir. Whatever may be the arguments and counter arguments of National Conference and it’s political rivals the fact remains that Omar had to break his silence only a day after his estranged senior party colleague Aga Syed Ruhulla asked him to clear his stand on withdrawal of special status and statehood for the second time in last two months.
Farooq Abdullah saying that all National Conference leaders are deadly opposed to any compromise on special status and statehood but Omar Abdullah saying in a new book that he won’t ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reverse what he has done on August 5 last year shows that Farooq and Omar are not on the same page. The remarks of Farooq Abdullah and counter remarks of Omar Abdullah show that an internal row may trigger a major row within the National Conference itself in coming months.
Forget about the challenge from the leaders of five other parties who have put down their signatures on much hyped Gupkar declaration Omar finds himself at the centre of row over his stand on scrapped special status and statehood from the senior leaders of his own party. Gone are the days when late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and his son Farooq Abdullah would impose decisions of their own whims and wishes over the party ranks without any resistance from any single party functionary. Now is the time when Omar has to build a consensus over the policy decisions within his own party as otherwise dissenters within his party would throw up a huge challenge to his leadership and also that of his Father Farooq Abdullah. Interestingly Omar’s remarks also show his difference of opinion even with his father and Party President Farooq Abdullah over the withdrawal of special status and statehood. Farooq Abdullah saying that all National Conference leaders are deadly opposed to any compromise on special status and statehood but Omar Abdullah saying in a new book that he won’t ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reverse what he has done on August 5 last year shows that Farooq and Omar are not on the same page. The remarks of Farooq Abdullah and counter remarks of Omar Abdullah show that an internal row may trigger a major row within the National Conference itself in coming months.
