Engineer Rashid, Omar Abdullah spar over J&K’s statehood push
Results for the J&K assembly elections, which ended on October 1 after three phases, will be announced
Calls by some political leaders to the National Conference-Congress alliance and others to mull deferring government formation and instead push the Centre for statehood were rejected by Omar Abdullah, who on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would want nothing more than to extend central rule in the UT.
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief and Baramulla MP Engineer Abdul Rashid and Apni Party leader Ghulam Hassan Mir had both called the alliance and elected members to pressure the central government for restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir before the new assembly’s proceedings.
“The elected government in the new assembly will have limited powers. For five years, the Gupkar alliance could not do anything. Now, my humble request to INDIA bloc, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Conference and Apni Party is to unite on one thing. We know that the INDIA alliance has its own compulsions, they took votes from people of Kashmir but Congress was silent on Article 370 issue. My suggestion to them is that till we don’t get statehood, the effort should be that the new government shouldn’t be formed till that time,” Rashid had said at a press conference.
Results for the assembly elections, which ended on October 1 after three phases, will be announced on Tuesday. Exit poll results have given an edge to the NC-Congress alliance which had formed a pre-poll alliance in the UT.
“Even if there is a majority to a single party, or to an alliance or with the support of independents, better would be that all these parties focus on a point-asking the union government to restore statehood,” Rashid said.
“Even Omar Abdullah says that this assembly won’t have powers more than a municipality, and then it is mandatory on him, PDP and others to unite and seek statehood and the esteem of J&K back,” he said, insisting that the AIP was also ready to play its part.
Abdullah, whom many believe will be the new chief minister if the NC-Congress alliance gets majority, however, rejected the assertion.
“The man goes to Delhi for 24 hours and comes back to play straight into the hands of the BJP. The BJP would like nothing more than to extend central rule in Jammu and Kashmir if they aren’t in a position to form a government,” he said.
Mir, Apni Party senior vice-president, also said parties should think of the restoration of statehood before forming the government. “The UT legislature is powerless and the MLAs will be also powerless.…At this moment, if all the MLA-elects say that they won’t take oath till statehood is restored, it can build pressure forcing the government of India to restore statehood,” he said.