Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday criticised chief minister Omar Abdullah for going to Delhi to participate in the National Conference’s (NC) protest for statehood despite the adverse conditions in the Union Territory following recent weather related incidents.
“The CM should have been standing with the grieving families and supervising the ongoing rescue operations instead of staging a political protest in New Delhi. Even today, several bodies remain buried under debris in the flood-ravaged areas of Poonch and Rajouri, but the ruling party appears more interested in political optics than addressing the humanitarian crisis,” said leader of Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Sunil Sharma during a press conference.
On Sunday, devastating flash floods and landslides claimed 11 lives and left several others missing. Rain-related destructions continued on Monday with 11 people loosing their lives in Jammu region. CM, who was in Delhi for NC’s July 20 statehood protest at Jantar Mantar, had cut short his visit and came back to Jammu on Sunday and chaired a review meeting. He, however, went back to Delhi on Monday.
Demanding ₹20 lakh compensation for those who lost their lives in cloud burst and flash floods, Sharma said that he recently visited the flood-hit areas in Poonch and Rajouri and claimed that the scale of destruction was enormous and many affected families were still awaiting immediate assistance. He also demanded 6 months ration, immediate rehabilitation of rain affected families, re-establishment of damaged religious institutions and temporary houses for those families living in slum areas of district Rajouri who have lost everything, including utensils and clothes, in flash floods.
{{/usCountry}}Demanding ₹20 lakh compensation for those who lost their lives in cloud burst and flash floods, Sharma said that he recently visited the flood-hit areas in Poonch and Rajouri and claimed that the scale of destruction was enormous and many affected families were still awaiting immediate assistance. He also demanded 6 months ration, immediate rehabilitation of rain affected families, re-establishment of damaged religious institutions and temporary houses for those families living in slum areas of district Rajouri who have lost everything, including utensils and clothes, in flash floods.
{{/usCountry}}Taking strong exception to photographs of Omar, circulating on social media, during the Delhi protest, Sharma alleged that the chief minister was “busy posing for photographs with his sons and sharing images of travelling in an e-auto” while people in J&K were battling unprecedented devastation. “It is unfortunate that at a time when families are searching for their missing loved ones and rescue teams are risking their lives to retrieve bodies from the debris, the CM is engaged in what has become a Delhi picnic and photo session,” Sharma alleged.
Accusing the NC of treating the tragedy with “insensitivity,” Sharma said the ruling party had demonstrated that “politics comes first while human suffering takes a back seat.” He urged the CM to return immediately and devote his full attention to the rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.