Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary on Thursday said the BJP, which allegedly called independent MLA Satish Sharma “Satish Abdullah”, is now shedding crocodile tears over his exit from the cabinet in a recent reshuffle by chief minister Omar Abdullah.
“BJP had been trying hard to get me and Sharma dropped from the council of ministers. They called us Jai Chands of Jammu (traitors) in the past,” alleged Choudhary.
“They (BJP) even refused to accept me a Hindu. If I am not a Hindu then who am I,” he asked. Choudhary also rubbished the claims of BJP that the National Conference (NC) government headed by Omar has neglected Jammu region.
During the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP had won a record 29 assembly seats, an all time high, all from Jammu region. “I feel sad that Sharma is no longer part of our cabinet. He was my colleague in the government until yesterday. But I am surprised to see the BJP, which called him ‘Satish Abdullah’, is now shedding crocodile tears over his removal. They also called me ‘Surinder Abdullah’, Choudhary told reporters during a visit to a market in the railway station area here where a fire damaged nearly 30 shops.
He questioned BJP’s duplicity over Sharma’s exit from Omar’s cabinet. “If the BJP had such objections to us, why is it now expressing concern over Sharma’s exit?,” he said and claimed that the BJP tried to get both Sharma and him dropped from Omar’s cabinet.
{{/usCountry}}He questioned BJP’s duplicity over Sharma’s exit from Omar’s cabinet. “If the BJP had such objections to us, why is it now expressing concern over Sharma’s exit?,” he said and claimed that the BJP tried to get both Sharma and him dropped from Omar’s cabinet.
{{/usCountry}}The cabinet expansion has caused dissent in the NC as Mubarak Gul and Abdul Majeed Larvi openly expressed disappointment after being left out of the cabinet expansion. While Gul said he had been dropped repeatedly, Larvi claimed he was on the list of probable ministers. Larvi, however, reaffirmed his loyalty to the party despite feeling hurt.
Earlier, the NC’s Srinagar MP, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, raised a banner of revolt within the party and reaffirmed his plan to resign from both the NC and his Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on November 3. Given these internal fissures, Mehdi’s open revolt, and his impending resignation, the BJP has predicted a split in the NC.
However, deputy CM expressed gratitude to the CM and NC president Farooq Abdullah for retaining him in the cabinet and continuing to repose faith in him. “Appointing a Hindu from Jammu as deputy CM is an honour to the region,” he said.
Referring to BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi’s allegation that post cabinet expansion, the NC has again become a “Muslim conference”, Choudhary questioned the BJP’s claims of secularism and inclusive governance.
“They talk about ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ but do they have even one Muslim as a minister, CM or deputy CM in the governments they run across the country or in the central government?” he asked.
He challenged the BJP to explain why it was questioning the NC’s credentials on representation when the party had elected Hindu representatives from Jammu and appointed him deputy CM.
“Is Surinder Choudhary not a Hindu? Is a Jat not a Hindu? If I am not a Hindu, then the BJP should explain which communities it considers Hindu and which castes it recognises as part of Sanatan Dharma,” he added.