Noting that his occasion has “surrendered” seats to forge alliance with Congress for the meeting polls, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Nationwide Convention chief Omar Abdullah has mentioned that such adjustment must be performed in any seat-sharing settlement and having a tie-up was “too essential to let 5 – 6 seats jeopardise the entire thing”.
In an interview with ANI, Omar Abdullah additionally took a dig at BJP and mentioned a fallacious narrative was sought to be created that Article 370 was one thing “that Kashmiris cherished and residents of Jammu area hated”.
He mentioned Nationwide Convention was making ready to contest all seats earlier than the seat-sharing settlement with Congress.
“All alliances are a compromise. We had ready candidates for all seats. I am undecided whether or not Congress had performed the identical, however I am assuming they might have performed. We’ve clearly surrendered seats that we had folks prepared for, that we believed we have been in a great place to no less than put up a very good combat. However sure, in any seat-sharing, you need to give up seats and we did,” Omar Abdullah mentioned.
“Having an alliance was too essential to let 5 – 6 seats jeopardise the entire thing. We might have ended up with a Madhya Pradesh-type scenario the place the Congress simply went fully alone as a result of they could not agree on six or seven seats to the Samajwadi occasion,” he added.
He mentioned BJP margins in two Lok Sabha polls in Jammu area went down in 2024 election in comparison with 2019 and requested if Article 370 was a Kashmir-specific challenge that Jammu was completely satisfied to see the again of, then margins of BJP ought to have gone up.
“This narrative was sought to be created that 370 was one thing that Kashmiris cherished and Jammuites hated. It is not with out cause that the BJP’s vote share in Jammu shrunk drastically on this Parliament election. The margins of victory for each candidates in Jammu and Udhampur are half of what they have been within the election in 2014. If 370 was a Kashmir-specific challenge that Jammu was completely satisfied to see the again of, you need to have seen margins in Jammu leap in favour of the BJP. However you have not,” he mentioned.
He mentioned there may be “a number of simmering anger” in Jammu and mentioned he would reverse the choice on Dabar transfer no less than for Jammu if the alliance involves energy. “You principally crippled the financial system of Jammu if you shut down the Darbar transfer. Jammu’s financial system depended loads on authorities workers coming from Kashmir within the winter. They spent some huge cash there. They employed lodging. For six months, the place boomed. You speak about tourism. How a lot of that tourism really goes to Jammu? Virtually nothing. As a result of the practice takes Yatris on to Katra. The Yatris who land by air, come straight from the airport, get into their automotive, go to Katra, get right into a helicopter, fly as much as Mata temple, do darshan and are available again. Jammu is crying for some kind of financial sustenance, which they used to get from the Darbar transfer, they do not. What would you love to do in another way? I want to reverse a number of these items that have been performed…such because the Darbar transfer to begin with for Jammu no less than,” he mentioned.
The 149-year-old biannual custom of shifting places of work between summer season capital Srinagar and winter capital Jammu was ended by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in 2021. The administration had mentioned that it has fully transitioned to an e-office the place “darbar transfer” was not wanted and the choice will save Rs 200 crore per yr.
Omar Abdullah mentioned Jammu and Kashmir wants stronger domicile legal guidelines.”We’d like domicile legal guidelines that no less than deliver us at par with different elements of the nation. Right now we now have weaker domicile legal guidelines than our personal neighbour Himachal. Our domicile legal guidelines are the weakest within the nation right now. That is what was mentioned when Article 370 was taken away,” he mentioned.
“It is a real worry as a result of lands are being given away. Authorities lands are being given away to people who find themselves not from right here. Let me be clear, I’ve no drawback with folks coming right here, however we’re saying we must always have first proper over our personal land, over our personal water, over our personal rivers. What’s fallacious in that? If you happen to give the primary proper to folks in different states, why not right here?” he added.
Omar Abdullah skipped answering the query on who would be the Chief Minister if the NC-Congress alliance wins the elections. “I’ve had my kind of fingers burnt in Baramulla (parliamentary constituency) by assuming that I do know what will occur. I am not making that mistake once more. Which is why I’ve not put any quantity on the occasion successful. We need to win as many seats as doable. However I’m not going to be silly sufficient to place a quantity on it after which exceed that quantity.” he mentioned.
Omar Abdullah was defeated by an impartial candidate by over 1.5 lakh votes within the Lok Sabha polls. He additionally talked about his focus through the marketing campaign on native points.
“He (Rahul Gandhi) will speak about nationwide points. He has illustration all the way in which to the east and the west, all the way in which right down to the south. Most likely quickly his sister will probably be combating a parliamentary election from Kerala. The second you cross into Punjab, I’ve no locus standi. So, I’ve no cause to speak about points that transcend Jammu and Kashmir,” he mentioned.
Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will probably be performed in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. Votes will probably be counted on October 8. Just like the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this yr, Congress and the Nationwide Convention are combating the meeting polls additionally in alliance. Whereas NC will contest 51 of 90 seats, Congress will combat 32 with two events additionally agreeing to a pleasant contest on some seats. A couple of seats have been left for smaller events.
