Biting power outages, ration shortage testing people’s patience: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar, Nov 20: National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah Monday said that biting power outages and ration shortages were testing the patience of the people.

A statement of NC issued here said that addressing a workers convention at Malwan, in DamhalHanjipora in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, Abdullah said the BharatiyaJanata Party’s developmental claims in Jammu and Kashmir were a bundle of lies.

Accusing the party of betraying people in the name of bringing change and providing employment and development, the former chief minister said that the BJP had consistently betrayed the people, making false promises about elections, unemployment reduction, development, improved electricity, and other minor issues.

“Except for lies, they have not delivered anything to the people. The condition of electricity was not as dire as it is today, despite their claims of spending huge sums on development. Why don’t they allocate more funds to provide electricity to the people of J&K? People are feeling the heat of the ongoing rice crisis created by the Government of India’s decision to reduce allotment quota,” he said. “They have no rice to eat and can’t even afford to purchase it from the open market at an exorbitant rate. The government’s actions about curtailment of ration quota have created a staple crisis in the region. We are a rice-eating zone but who’s going to tell this to the government? They don’t give a damn to it.”

Referring to the AmshiporaShopian encounter, in which the Army suspended the punishment of the involved officer, the NC Vice President said, “With this verdict, the Centre gave an impression to people that their blood is cheap.”

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, he said that instead of curbing terrorism, the region was witnessing a rise in terror activities post-abrogation of the special status of J&K that belies the claims of normalcy by Prime Minister NarendraModi-led BJP government.

Abdullah said that the government made deceptive promises to the country over the abrogation of Article 370 where its revocation will end terrorism.

“Earlier, it was said that Article 370 pampered militancy in J&K and if it is abrogated the region will be militancy-free and people will heave a sigh of relief. But with time all these promises and assurances have proved deceptive. Instead of curbing terrorism, there is a huge rise in terror activities in J&K. The terrorists killed in Samnoo DH Pora a few days ago who were drawn into terrorism after 2019 is a case in point,” he said.

The convention was organised by the State Secretary and NC constituency inchargeSakinaItoo.

NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, Provincial President NasirAslamWani, and senior leader MianAltaf Ahmad were also present on the occasion.

On the occasion, Abdullah also welcomed the son of an Apni Party leader into the party fold.