Srinagar: Former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president, Omar Abdullah said on Monday that the sweeping victory of the NC-Congress alliance in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections is the result of the people’s anger against the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.
Addressing a Press conference here on Monday, Omar thanked the people of Kargil for reposing trust in his party and the Congress and also for the defeat of the BJP in these elections.
“The BJP will now say that it was because of the Muslim voters in Kargil. I want to ask them if the division of J&K done on August 5, 2019 was on a religious basis.
“If that was so, then I must remind the BJP that Ladakh is a Muslim majority region, although there is a sizeable number of the Buddhist population there.
“We did not fight these elections on the basis of religion. This is proved by the fact that our elected councillor from Padam seat in these elections is a Buddhist.
“The fact is that development and religion are non-issues in Ladakh right now. The only issue this time is the bifurcation of the state.
“The BJP had been telling the world that the people of Ladakh wanted separation from Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370.
“The fact is that the people in Ladakh are as angry on these two issues as those in the Valley and the Jammu division”, he said.
The NC vice president said that neither the Union government nor the BJP, are ready to hold elections in J&K.
“The Centre told the Supreme Court that Panchayat and urban development body elections are being held in J&K soon. What we are hearing now is that even these elections won’t be held anytime soon”, Omar said.
He alleged that the BJP would not even hold the Lok Sabha elections in J&K if the party had its way. “Holding Lok Sabha elections is a compulsion for them. After yesterday’s results, I fear the Assembly elections in J&K are going to be delayed further because the BJP is sure of its defeat”, he said.
Omar also said that as a political party, it is understandable why the BJP does not want elections in J&K. “But I am disappointed with the Election Commission. In today’s Press conference the Chief Election Commissioner said that the dates for the J&K Assembly elections would be announced after considering all the factors.
“I want to ask the Election Commissioner, what are these factors? The fact is that there is only one factor and that is the ‘fear factor’.
“Till now the BJP was hiding behind the Lieutenant Governor and now they are hiding behind the Election Commission”, Omar said.
He also questioned the recent statement of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in which he said that 80 per cent of J&K’s people wanted the present dispensation to continue.
“I don’t know where that survey was held? If they were giving marks to themselves then why leave the 20 per cent? Why not say that 100 per cent people do not want elections in J&K”, he said.
Omar said the same excuse can tomorrow he taken by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and then they can decide that Lok Sabha elections are not needed in the country.
(IANS)
