Srinagar, Sep 28: National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah today fired salvos at the North Kashmir Member Parliament (MP) Engineer Rashid stating that the Awami Itehad Party (AIP) chief was aware of Article 370 roll back in 2018 but kept mum till 2019.
Addressing a rally at Sogam, Kupwara district of North Kashmir, Omar asked Er Rashid that had he broken his silence, the NC would have approached the Supreme Court in and advance and requested the court for the stay order on the Centre’s plans.
“How shameful is this that Er Rashid was knowing about Article 370 roll back in 2018 but remained silent till 2019. His silence cost J&K very badly. We lost Article 370, 35A, land rights, job rights, water rights and what not. Earlier, it were the people of J&K who were owners of their land, jobs and water but now it is the 1.40 Cr people of India who own our land, our jobs, our power, our water and rest of things,” Omar said and blamed Er Rashid for his long silence.
He said if Er Rashid would have broken his silence, perhaps, Supreme Court would have directions to Centre not to revoke Article 370.
Omar said that there is a huge difference between today’s J&K and what J&K was in 2014 when he had come to seek votes. “In 2014, we were not a UT, we were a State. Today we are a UT. In 2014, we had our own flag, today we have lost that too,” he said, adding that “Lamho nay Khata ki, Sadiyon nay saza payi.”
Lashing out at the PDP, Omar said the PDP leader Abdul Haq Khan of Lolab, Kupwara had sought votes to keep BJP at a bay in 2014. “The party ink-pot sign led by the then late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed asked people to vote for it so that BJP doesn’t cross the tunnel. Then what happened, PDP that got 28 seats, sat in the lap of BJP,” he said.
He asked people to stay cautious in the ongoing elections especially in the third and last phase stating that if one mistake is committed this time, that will cost huge for the next generations to come. “If BJP comes to power through the support of its proxies, they will tell our MP Aga Ruhullah who is roaring in the Parliament that people of J&K haven’t accepted August 5, 2019 decision, that see how people have voted for BJP,” Omar said and asked the NC works to be extra vigilant while casting vote.
Later talking to reporters, Omar while replying to a query that BJP J&K chief Ravinder Raina had stated the BJP’s dream of having Hindu CM in J&K will be fulfilled after the ongoing elections, said:
“The inputs we have received from Ravinder Raina’s seat (Nowshera) suggest the he has lost his own seat. Let him save his own seat first then talk about Hindu CM,” he said.
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Jammu and Kashmir