Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Oct 31: Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Friday said that the restoration of Article 370 and 35-A will remain a dream for those seeking it, and that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should focus only on his demand for statehood.
Sharma while talking to the reporters said that as far as the restoration of statehood is concerned, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supports the demand. However, he added that those dreaming about the return of Article 370 and 35-A are chasing a mirage.
“Ask Omar sahib about his August 15 speech where he said they would go door to door to collect signatures. I was at that function. You keep talking about statehood and full statehood, we support it, but do not hide behind it. Where is the UT [set-up] stopping you from working? Look, a huge corruption scandal came out yesterday. If the UT setup allows you to do corruption, what is stopping you from delivering good governance?” Sharma said.
Asked about the counter arguments made by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary regarding recent allegations of a multi-crore scam, Sharma said that Choudhary’s statements lack logic.
“He alleges a 28-thousand-crore scam somewhere. You (Choudhary) are in the government, your department is with you. Bring out the files. Show them to the people if you have the courage. If you are a minister, allow investigations. Yesterday, one scandal surfaced as an example. Investigate your own department. You have the Industries Department,” Sharma said.
He added that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was not elected only for the restoration of statehood but for ensuring good governance. “That is missing on the ground, and this is quite unfortunate,” Sharma said. (KNO)
