NC will fight alone for Article 370 if Congress not on board: Omar
Addressing a public rally at Kishtwar, National Conference vice-president and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said the Congress is not ready to fight the battle for restoration of Article 370
National Conference vice-president and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday took a swipe at senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for giving up the fight for restoration of Article 370.
With political parties getting into election mode, Omar raked up Article 370 to strike an emotional chord with the people in Kishtwar.
Addressing a public rally at Kishtwar, Omar said, “Article 370 was the legacy of the Congress. I got sad today after reading a news report wherein Azad sahib, who remained chief minister of J&K, said at a rally in Kashmir that talking about Article 370 is useless and that it won’t return.”
“It came into existence because of the first PM Jawahar Lal Nehru. If the Congress can’t protect and stand up for its own legacy, then what would it do with the people and their issues,” he asked.
“The hearing hasn’t yet started and they (Congress) have already given up. Have you decided before the Supreme Court takes a decision on the matter?” he said.
The former chief minister said, “Our identity, survival, jobs, future of youth and land… everything is related to Article 370.”
“They (Congress) are not ready to fight the battle but we will fight it alone. We were told that Article 370 was hollow (by the BJP). Had it been so, then why they removed it?” he asked.
‘Good that Azad accepted the mistake of Nehru’
Reacting to Omar’s speech at Kishtwar, former deputy chief minister and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said, “When they (the NC, the PDP and the Congress) were in governments, we have seen that how stone pelting, pro-Pak stand, terrorism, corruption and dynastic politics plagued the state. It is good to see that Ghulam Nabi Azad has realised and accepted the mistake of Nehru.”
“They want statehood, which the BJP government has assured in the Parliament, but Article 370 won’t return till doomsday. People got the much-needed relief following its abrogation. They (Omar and Mehbooba) are giving such statements to propel their political fortunes but it is not going to help them because they are on a sticky wicket,” said Gupta.
