Omar rejects comparison between NC, BJP protests

Srinagar, Sep 2: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday rejected comparisons between the National Conference (NC) and BJP protests in Srinagar, alleging that the administration and police treated the two demonstrations differently.
Speaking with reporters in Srinagar, the Chief Minister, said the BJP was allowed to protest while the NC demonstration was “brutally repressed”.
He alleged that several NC workers were dragged and injured, with some requiring hospital treatment. “Please, don’t draw a false equivalence. There is no equivalence in the way in which the two parties were treated by the administration, by the police. One was facilitated and one was brutally repressed,” he said.
He said the difference in the treatment of the two protests was visible to everyone, alleging that BJP protesters were escorted while the NC was prevented from marching towards the BJP office.
Omar questioned the ease with which media persons were able to interact with BJP Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma during the protest. “The ease with which media were able to interview the Leader of the Opposition during their protest was seen by all of us,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the contrasting treatment reflected the situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that protests targeting the government were allowed while demonstrations outside the BJP office were prevented.
“If you want to march on the Chief Minister’s residence, you are allowed to. If you want to gherao the Secretariat, you are allowed to. But if you want to protest outside the BJP’s office, God forbid, you will not be allowed,” he said.
Responding to BJP’s demand that he resign and seek a fresh mandate on the issue of statehood, Abdullah said he would not step down to satisfy the Leader of Opposition. “Why should I resign? I will not resign for the happiness of the LoP,” he said.
Omar said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had given his government a five-year mandate and that it would present its report card before the people after completing its term. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have given us five years. We will present our report card to the people after five years,” he said.
On allegations of backdoor appointments and favouritism, the CM said his government did not control the agencies responsible for investigating such cases.
“If there have been backdoor appointments, then which agency has investigated them? Tell me one thing: if there has been a backdoor appointment, then the Anti-Corruption Bureau is not under my control. The Crime Branch is not under my control. The CID is not under my control,” he said.
He said such allegations were being levelled by the BJP without providing evidence, alleging that the party was trying to divert attention from its own shortcomings. “These are baseless allegations from the BJP, because they have nothing else to say. They themselves fail every day and make us the target,” he said.
On the shortage of doctors in government hospitals, Omar said the government is taking steps to address vacancies, particularly in rural areas. He said around 330 doctors had completed the recruitment process and those whose verification had been completed had been issued appointment orders.
“Those who have been verified have been given an appointment order. They will be posted in the hospitals of J&K. We hope that they will go to these areas and serve the people there,” he said.
He said the government would gradually work towards improving the health system across Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah also referred to remarks made by the RSS chief on Muslims, saying such statements would have greater meaning if they were followed by action on the ground.
He said Muslims from Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere sometimes face difficulties in finding accommodation outside the region, alleging that some students and job-seekers have faced discrimination because of their religion.
“It is a very good thing that the RSS chief said that those who consider Muslims to be strangers or those who consider Muslims to have no place in India are not true Hindus. But I would like the people of India to act on this. Then I will say that what he said is right,” he said.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision to quash FIRs against students who participated in the CJP-led protests over the NEET paper leak, Omar said such cases should not have been registered in the first place. “Okay, good. Anyway, the FIR should not be filed against them,” he said.
On the threat posed by glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), particularly in view of recent developments in Nepal, the Chief Minister said Jammu and Kashmir had already initiated research and preparedness measures.
He said funds were allocated in his first budget for research into GLOF risks and that the government had not waited for incidents elsewhere to begin preparations. “We already knew that the GLOF can definitely pose a threat to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Omar said the government wanted research institutions, universities and experts to assess the risks and suggest measures to prevent a disaster in J&K.
“We want our research institutions, our universities, our experts to tell us what we can do to prevent an incident like the one in Nepal from happening in Jammu and Kashmir. This process is going on,” he said, adding that the government would consider the recommendations received from experts. (KNO)