SRINAGAR: Parliamentarian and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader, Engineer Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Er Rashid, on Friday accused the newly elected Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, of playing into the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also claimed that the National Conference (NC) was aware of the abrogation of Article 370 well before the government’s decision and that the BJP’s full support had resulted in the NC winning a majority of seats in the assembly polls.
Addressing a news conference, Er Rashid alleged that the NC received tactical support during the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, securing 42 seats.
He added that it seems the NC and BJP are working together behind the scenes. He noted that Omar Abdullah, during his first cabinet meeting, passed a resolution seeking the restoration of statehood, which contradicts the NC’s long-standing position and campaign promise.
“NC has been promising a fight for Article 370 and related issues, but Omar is now deviating from these key matters by focusing only on the restoration of statehood,” Rashid said, adding that statehood had already been promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He further accused Omar Abdullah of following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, whom he also accused of betraying the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Omar has shifted his focus solely to statehood and recently claimed that Article 370 would be restored when a non-BJP government is in power at the centre. I want to ask him: should Kashmiris wait 100 years if the BJP remains in power until then?” Rashid questioned, adding that Omar was playing into the BJP’s hands.
He also remarked that Omar should have shown grief when assuming the role of Chief Minister but instead seemed so pleased that he changed his attire three times in a single day to celebrate taking the “broken chair.”
Er Rashid also demanded clarity from Omar’s government on what would serve as the capital, given that the traditional practice of the Darbar Move has ended in Jammu and Kashmir. According to him, this has created a divide between the people of the two regions. (KNO)
