Days ahead of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil polls, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Saturday said people of Kargil will send a clear message through vote that whether they accept or reject the decisions of August 5, 2019.
The Narendra Modi government on August 5, 2019 scrapped the special status of Jammu and kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into union territories .
“This is the first time after August 5, 2019 that you are getting an opportunity to raise your voice. You can send a clear message through your vote that you accept or reject the decisions of 5th August 2019,” Omar said while addressing a election rally in Kargil
The LAHDC-K polls will be the first such elections in Kargil since Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. The NC and the Congress are fighting the election together.
Omar said after 2019 nothing new came here but only loss.
“ What was given to Kargil after 5th August 2019? I laid the foundation stone of Zojila tunnel together with Rahul Gandhi, transmission line, power house and whatever other projects are there are all before 2019. Also after 2019 nothing new came here but only loss. We thought that these people would arrange at least one regular flight to Kargil airport, but they failed to do that,” he said.
Omar lamented the “biased” attitude of Ladakh administration towards JKNC, saying the groundswell of support for the party is making the ruling party nervous and jittery.
“My convoy was stopped at Zero Point Mini Marg and my security was not allowed to proceed,” he said.
Omar said the Ladakh administration tried hard to stop the National Conference candidates from using the plough symbol but all in vain.
“First, these people had to face defeat from the High Court and then they had to suffer from the Division Bench of the High Court. But these people did not stop there, they reached the Supreme Court, but there also they faced the same music,” he said.
Omar Abdullah said that the National Conference and Kargil have a bond that is not going to break. “Although our candidates are being harassed a lot by the administration, I am very hopeful that our candidates will forfeit the bail of BJP candidates.”
Omar slammed the BJP for not giving representation to the Muslims in the country
“I ask those who are asking for votes here in the name of BJP, what are the views of your organization towards Muslims? Who will respond to the member of parliament who used derogatory words for Muslims in the Lok Sabha?” Omar said.
He said this is the first time after independence that there is not a single Muslim minister in the central government even though Muslims constitute 14% of the country’s population, i.e. more than 22 crores.
“Did you not find a single member of parliament or minister among 22 crore Muslims? After all, why so much hatred and stubbornness?” the former chief minister asked.