‘Statehood Is J&K’s Top Priority’: Omar Abdullah, Ram Madhav Says 'Don't Give Sermons On Article 370'
BJP leader Ram Madhav stated that National Conference's performance in Jammu indicated how the people in the region "clearly rejected" Omar Abdullah's policy on Article 370.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, who is set to become the next Chief Minister of the Union Territory, reiterated that the J&K's statehood should be restored as it is the top priority of the people in the region and also his party's. Following this, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ram Madhav reacted to his stance and said that the NC's performance in Jammu indicated that the people of the region "clearly rejected" Abdullah's policy on Article 370.
He further advised the NC leader to "not give sermons on Article 370" and said, "Let Omar approach the central government for the restoration of statehood".
"The people of Jammu and rejected Omar Abdullah. This is a clear rejection of Omar’s policy on Article 370 as he did not get any seats in the jammu region," Madhav said. He also added that Abudllah's party benefitted from the division of votes in the valley and that the NC's overall vote share was lower than BJP, News 18 reported.
The BJP leader reacted to Omar Abdullah's statement that he would like to believe that Article 370 will be reinstated. "It is our political ideology. We are ready for the struggle," he said.
The NC-Congress contested the Jammu and Kashmir elections in an alliance and secured a majority with 48 seats. The former chief minister won both Ganderbal and Budgam seats. The BJP, on the other hand, contested solo and registered a win on 29 seats.
Abdullah said that Jammu and Kashmir was always a state and that the UT is just a temporary phase. "The PM has always said that J&K’s statehood will be restored. He is an honourable man. Hope he keeps his word. People should be rewarded for showing their faith in democracy. Statehood is their first priority and it should be fulfilled," the report quoted him as saying.
After winning on October 8, the NC leader had also said that the "people of Jammu should not feel that they have no voice in this government." "We must exercise great caution with this mandate...I believe that if we regain state status, the government should strive to re-establish the Legislative Council."
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir: JKNC Vice President Omar Abdullah says, "We must exercise great caution with this mandate. The people of Jammu should not feel that they have no voice in this government. I believe that if we regain state status, the government should strive to… pic.twitter.com/zRDsRDpzRy
— IANS (@ians_india) October 8, 2024
On his victory in the first assembly polls since the abrogation of Article 370, Abdullah said: "Our expectations were tampered by the recent Lok Sabha elections results…We are the single largest party now, which we had anticipated before going to the assembly polls."
He also commented on Congress's setback in Jammu and Kashmir and also on the party bagging just six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. "I am not going to start the coalition government on a bitter note. Everyone got the Haryana results wrong. It is unfair to blame the Congress for the results. It happens in politics. Our alliance is intact," he said, defending his ally.
Abdullah stated that it is a difficult task to run a government and took a jibe at the BJP for its loss in the UT, saying that the people in the valley "rejected its politics".
"People have rejected the politics of the BJP. Changes made by the BJP in the valley have been rejected by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a government of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We will also work for those who voted for the BJP. We will not differentiate between people," Abdullah added.
BJP Will Win The Hearts Of The Valley Soon: Madhav
BJP leader Madhav, meanwhile, also reacted to BJP's loss in the valley, where it could not secure a seat. He stressed that even though the BJP could not win any seats in the valley, it will work towards winning the hearts of the people in the region.
"The BJP wants to become a pan-valley party or just restrict itself to Jammu region, the party will have to think about it. There was huge positivity towards the BJP in the valley but we could not convert it into votes. Very soon, we will win the hearts of the people of the valley and get seats in the valley as well," he said.
'Drawing Line Between Centre And BJP': Omar Abdullah
Omar Abdullah also spoke about establishing and maintaining healthy relations with the central government. However, he clearly stated that he would never have good relations with the BJP, and has drawn a line between the Centre and the saffron party.
"Any government should have healthy relations with the Centre, but I am making it very clear that good relations with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not happen. I am drawing a line between the Central government and BJP," News 18 quoted him as saying.
"People will not benefit from the tension between the Central government and state. Hope the Raj Bhavan reciprocates in a positive way," he added.
Reacting to this, Madhav said that the NC leader is as much responsible for maintaining cordial relations with Centre. "There won’t be any problem for Omar to run the government. Gentlemanship should be on both sides. Omar sometimes behaves like Kejriwal. Omar is also as much responsible for maintaining cordial relations with the central government," the BJP leader said.
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