Fulfilled promise made in party manifesto: Omar

Jammu, Nov 3: Asserting that restoring historic Durbar Move practice was aimed at correcting injustice done with Jammu and Kashmir regions, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that he has fulfilled the promise made in the party manifesto.
Talking to the reporters, the Chief Minister said, “The Durbar Move was stopped for four years; now, it has resumed again.”
Talking to the reporters, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that restoring historic Durbar Move practice was aimed at correcting injustice done with Jammu and Kashmir regions, said that he has fulfilled the promise made in the party manifesto.
“The Durbar Move was stopped for four years; now, it has resumed again,” he said.
“The Move shouldn’t be measured solely in monetary terms. No one can deny that it benefits Jammu’s economy. It also plays a crucial role in maintaining Jammu and Kashmir’s unity,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said that during the six summer months, many people from Jammu come to Srinagar to work, and during the six winter months, people from Srinagar come to Jammu to live. “This flow of people between the two provinces benefits Jammu and Kashmir immensely,” he said.
Omar said, “The decision to scrap off Durbar Move shouldn’t have been taken. Now, I won’t go into what compulsions were there at the time, or the circumstances under which it was done. But, I have repeatedly said that this Durbar Move is not Sheikh Abdullah’s or Farooq Abdullah’s or my legacy. This was a practice that began long before the country gained independence. We have just restarted it,” he added.
Notably, the Durbar Move, was initiated in 1872 by Maharaja Gulab Singh and the practice continued till 2021. It was halted for four years, now it has recommenced.
Regarding reservation, Omar said that there is nothing to be kept hidden. “What’s there to hide? If we had wanted to hide it, we would not have included it in our manifesto. The discussion in this regard began only when the National Conference included it in its manifesto. Otherwise, nobody was discussing it? Those who today are posing as great sympathizers of those with open merit? Where were they until the National Conference included it in its manifesto?,” he said.
Omar said that the cabinet subcommittee has submitted its report. “It is our full intention to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling that reservations should not exceed 50%. If there was a point in hiding the reservation level for Jammu and Kashmir, why would we do it?”
About bye-elections in Budgam and Nagrota, the Chief Minister said that they are putting in all efforts to emerge victorious. “One was our own seat. We lost one a year ago. But we hope we will perform well in Nagrota this time too. Because the BJP has proven one thing, which I say again and again: the BJP has no objection to dynastic rule. They absolutely love dynastic rule, but only their own families. The families that are against the BJP see dynastic rule only in them, and thankfully, this was proven again in Nagrota,” he said.
Asked about statehood resolution, Omar said that as the Durbar Move was done today, they will do more. “Before that, under the Assembly Resolution, we addressed the political issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Under the Cabinet Resolution, we addressed statehood. In the budget, we made some important announcements for Jammu and Kashmir. Now, the budget will be presented again in February. There will be more in it. The process will continue. No government is formed for a week, a month or a year. A government comes to power with the intention of spending the entire five years presenting its agenda to the people. We have completed one year, and four years remain. Now, we stand firm that we will fulfill the promises we made to the people,” he said.
Reacting to the PDP Chief, Mehbooba Mufti’s move filing PIL in court over shifting of prisoners, he said that now, the matter is before the court. “Nothing will happen until the court delivers its verdict. You can’t even debate it in the Assembly. You have now pushed this issue beyond the scope of discussion. Now, when these same people try to raise a question or a resolution in the Assembly, the Speaker will say that this matter is subjudice. We will have to see. But, they thought maybe they could achieve something through the courts,” he added.