Rebuts BJP Over Assembly Session Schedule Change
Srinagar | September, 15: Asserting full confidence in his legislators, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said he was not worried about his MLAs switching sides while hitting back at the Bharatiya Janata Party over its criticism of the seven-day Assembly session and taking a dig at his critics. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at SKICC, reports said the Chief Minister expressed faith in his team and addressed opposition allegations regarding the brevity of the legislative session.
On the BJP’s criticism of the schedule, Omar questioned how the government could be accused of being “non-serious” when the House was functioning throughout the day. “What is non-serious about it? It’s a seven-day session. It would have been non-serious if we had followed the path shown by the BJP, where they have held one- or two-day sessions in their states,” he said, adding that ministers sit in the Assembly from morning until evening.
Taking a swipe at the opposition, the Chief Minister said BJP members were “hardly seen in Parliament” and questioned their right to accuse his administration. “These people never come to Parliament. They are never seen in Parliament,” he said. “Look at Parliament. Look at who sits for how long. Then you tell me who is taking it seriously and who is not.”
The CM stated he would not engage in daily verbal duels, remarking, “Don’t expect me to answer every statement. You said it today; now I will react to the next statement after a month. I will react to one of their statements every month. Not every day.” He also took a dig at certain commentators, stating they turned against his government after failing to receive government jobs or accommodation. “I didn’t give them a job in my government, and now they start writing. Here they are, commentators who don’t get a government house, so they use social media against the government,” he said. “If I had given them a flat in Jawahar Nagar, would they have dared to write like this?”
Earlier, addressing an appointment-order distribution function for newly selected officers, Abdullah welcomed a new batch of JKAS and Accounts Gazetted Service officers into the administration. He expressed hope that their upcoming decades in public service would be dedicated to genuinely serving the people of Jammu and Kashmir with commitment and integrity.
