Omar Abdullah warns Centre not to test patience on J&K statehood
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asked the Centre not to mistake his patience for weakness on the restoration of statehood, and
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asked the Centre not to mistake his patience for weakness on the restoration of statehood, and demanded clarity on what it meant by the "appropriate time" for taking that step. He said patience did not mean silence, and warned against taking undue advantage of it. Abdullah also questioned why the Centre was ready to talk to representatives of Ladakh but not to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He appealed to political parties to support the Conference's proposed protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on July 20 over the demand for statehood. Read Full Story Addressing a workers' convention at the mausoleum of his grandparents in Hazratbal on the 26th death anniversary of his grandmother Akbar Jehan, Abdullah said the biggest lesson he had learnt from her was patience. "We have to keep patience – as was shown by her. But patience is not the path of weakness. Patience is not the path of silence," he said. "It doesn't mean that we don't have to raise our voice for our rights. It doesn't mean that you will take undue advantage of our patience. It doesn't mean that you will think us weak. This patience is our strength, it is our voice, and God willing, this patience will be our success." He said the central government should ask itself why, after more than one-and-a-half years in office, the ruling side in Jammu and Kashmir was preparing to protest at Jantar Mantar. "There must be some compulsion; something must have changed. I kept my political future and reputation at stake and told the Centre that we want to secure our rights through dialogue and not violence, knowing that this decision can be very risky for me politically," he said.
Abdullah said that after forming the government, he wanted to give the Centre some time to fulfil its promises, but added, "The reality is that they want to keep the situation like this." He said his party's success in the Assembly elections had become a "punishment" for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "Why did you (let us) form the government if you will not allow it to function? What is the benefit? Then you should not have conducted the elections," he said. Accusing the BJP-led Centre of controlling the governance of Jammu and Kashmir through the Lieutenant Governor, he said, "If you had to harass people through the Raj Bhavan, dismiss employees and run bulldozers, then why did you bring us forward?" He added, "They should have told us at that time that you come forward, but we will tie your hands behind your back. That we will give you those officers who will not implement (your) decisions. It is our patience that we are still working like donkeys to achieve something for the people of Jammu and Kashmir." Abdullah also pressed the Centre to explain the meaning of "appropriate time". "I ask them, for God's sake, how will we know that the appropriate time has come. What do my colleagues and I have to do to reach that appropriate time?" he said. He asked whether it meant that the BJP first had to come to power in the erstwhile state. "Have the courage to say it publicly. At least, we will not remain in this deception that you will fulfil the promise," he added. Referring to voter participation in the parliamentary and Assembly elections, Abdullah asked how many more elections would have to be fought on the hope that statehood would eventually be restored.
The BriefWire