Raja Syed Rather
Srinagar, Nov 10: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of deceiving the public, failing to fulfil pre-poll promises, and running what she termed as a “directionless government”.
Addressing a press conference here, Mehbooba said that the National Conference (NC) and its leadership have “nothing to tell the people” after one year of governance.
“Today, they (NC) have nothing to say to the public on the by-poll. Omar Abdullah, who had said he would remove smart meters when he came to power, is now advocating for them. He’s asking people to install solar panels, saying later he will see about free electricity units,” she said. “The cylinders they promised are nowhere to be found, and unemployment and inflation are higher than ever.”
The former Chief Minister said that despite the National Conference and Congress alliance securing a strong majority in the last assembly elections, the government had failed to deliver on even a single major promise.
“It’s been more than a year since the government was formed. People came out in large numbers, even in areas where there were boycotts, because they were fed up with rising electricity fees, unemployment, inflation, and bulldozer actions against the poor. They wanted a government that would stand by them. But after a year, people are again asking: what has this government done?” she said.
Mufti accused Omar of deflecting public questions by repeatedly bringing up the PDP-BJP alliance. “Instead of answering people about his own performance, Omar Sahib has only one thing to say — PDP, BJP, PDP, BJP — as if that will solve the people’s problems. This shows his frustration and lack of substance,” she remarked.
The PDP chief said the CM’s change of stance on electricity meters “exposed his inconsistency”. “The same Omar Sahib who once said, ‘I will throw smart meters into the river as soon as I become Chief Minister’, is now promoting those very meters. People are being told that if they don’t install them, they are power thieves. Is this the governance people voted for?” she asked.
On the issue of gas cylinders, Mehbooba said prices have soared while promised relief remains missing. “He (Omar) promised to provide free cylinders to the poor. Today, the prices have doubled, and the poor can’t afford even one. The promises have turned to dust,” she said.
The former CM lashed out at the NC government for failing to bring back under-trial prisoners from outside jails, a commitment Omar Abdullah had made to the people of Kashmir. “They said they would bring back our youth jailed outside J&K or at least ensure their cases were expedited. Nothing was done. We were forced to approach the Home Minister, Chief Secretary, and even the court for justice,” she said. “I personally know families suffering, like one where the father is blind and the only son has been in jail for seven or eight years without his crime being proven.”
Touching on the land rights issue, Mehbooba said the government’s “bulldozer policy” has targeted poor families. “They had promised ownership rights to people living on state land for decades. Instead, they are now being labelled as land grabbers. If you visit flood-hit areas or drainage colonies in the city, you will see people living in dire conditions, not land mafias. The poor cannot grab land — they can barely survive,” she said.
Taking a direct dig at Omar Abdullah, she said, “If he truly wants to talk about land grabbing, he should explain who built mansions on forest land in Batandi and whose names appeared on those lists. Why is he silent on that? The poor build single-storey homes, not multi-storey buildings, on government land. If you want to see real land grabbing, go see Gupta Road,” she added.
Mehbooba said the government’s focus has shifted from governance to “propaganda”. “Despite such a huge mandate, they have failed to provide even basic facilities. Inflation is crippling people, unemployment is at its peak, electricity and gas prices are unbearable, and people are being harassed in the name of land laws and meters. Yet, Omar Sahib continues to blame PDP and BJP for everything. This shows how disconnected they are from the ground reality,” she said.
The PDP chief said her party will continue to speak up for the people despite being in opposition. “The PDP is carrying the burden of both opposition and government failure on its shoulders. But we will not be silent spectators. We will continue to fight for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, inside and outside the Assembly,” she asserted.
