CM Omar criticises abandonment of Vajpayee’s Kashmir policy

Srinagar, Nov 5: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday hailed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a visionary leader saying that things would have been different “had we followed his footsteps”.

Speaking during the obituary references in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Abdullah said that Vajpayee talked about ‘Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat, and Kashmiriyat’, and sought to build bridges across divides and foster peace in the region.

“If Vajpayee’s roadmap for Jammu and Kashmir had been fully embraced, the region’s political situation might have been vastly different today,” he said, hinting at the August 5, 2019 decisions.

“Vajpayee initiated the Lahore bus service, famously visited Minar-e-Pakistan, and tirelessly advocated for friendly ties with Pakistan. His slogan of ‘Jhamoriyat, Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat’ was not just a phrase, it was a roadmap for peace and coexistence,” the CM said.

He recalled how Vajpayee, who famously stated that while friends can be changed, neighbours cannot, worked toward connecting the divided parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

However, Abdullah lamented that the vision of Vajpayee had been abandoned, particularly after the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, which led to the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories – J&K and Ladakh.

“Had Vajpayee’s roadmap been followed in spirit, we would not have found ourselves where we are today,” he said.

On Vajpayee’s approach to the autonomy resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Abdullah said that while Vajpayee’s government initially rejected the resolution, the former PM later recognised that the decision had been made hastily.

“Vajpayee appointed the then Law Minister Arun Jaitley to engage in talks with the National Conference leadership on the autonomy issue. Unfortunately, that process was left unfinished after his passing away,” he said.

Vajpayee, a two-time PM was also awarded Bharat Ratan.

“I had the opportunity to work with him. I served as his Minister of State (MoS) for three years. Vajpayee's role in this country is well known. Whenever I think of Vajpayee, I think of Jammu and Kashmir,” the CM said. “Vajpayee wanted the establishment of personal relations but today it seems that we are being pushed further away.”

Meanwhile, referring to the names of the leaders mentioned in the list of obituary references, he said that the long list itself indicates that this house had not worked for a long time.

“Since the last budget session in 2018, this is the first time we have had the opportunity to remember those people who are not among us today,” Abdullah said.

He said that 57 great personalities figured in the obituary list including the former President of this country, the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Members of Parliament, MLAs, and MLCs.

“Today the names of former MLAs and MLCs of Ladakh and Kargil are included in this list but a day will come when they will not be mentioned here because now they are not a part of us,” Abdullah said.

He said that after the list was distributed, he started thinking about who he should talk about.

“So I decided that let me mention those whom I knew or whom I worked with. Then when I started reading the list, I came across around 45 such names, whom I knew or whom I have worked with,” the CM said.

Remembering former President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee, he said that his life in itself was a lesson for all.

“Perhaps the biggest lesson we can learn from him is hard work. Be loyal to your responsibilities and no one can stop you from progressing. You will get your rights in some way or the other,” Abdullah said.

He said that Mukherjee did not land in politics through a parachute.

“He did not use any Godfather but worked hard, remained loyal to his responsibilities, and progressed,” Abdullah said.

He said Mukherjee was a Deputy Minister and then a Minister of State and he was given independent charge and later became a Cabinet Minister.

“Among the Cabinet Ministers, he held the most important portfolios including Defence, Finance, and Home. Later he headed this country as the President and ended his career in that position,” Abdullah said.

He said that Mukherjee had time and again proved his loyalty to his responsibilities.

“During the 2014 elections, Pranab Mukherjee became the President of the UPA government,” the CM said.

He said that during his presidency, the BJP government was in power in New Delhi.

“But, Pranab Mukherjee never allowed the President’s House to be used for politics. I do not remember if the BJP government or the UPA government ever raised a finger on Pranab Mukherjee,” Abdullah said.

He said that Mukherjee did not allow the President's House to be used for politics and kept the President's post of the UPA government and the President's House at bay from politics.

“In today's time, we can say this about very few people,” the CM said.

Recalling the contribution of Somnath Chatterjee, he said he still remembers the scene when the Left parties came out of the alliance over the nuclear bill.

“There was a lot of pressure from his party to leave the Speaker’s position,” Abdullah said. “Chatterjee said: ‘I am not the Speaker of the CPM but the speaker of the Lok Sabha.”

He said that after that incident Chatterjee never came back to the Parliament even though Congress was ready to give him a seat.

“Congress told him: ‘You can contest from any seat you want. We want to see you back in the Parliament’ but Chatterjee declined the offer,” the CM said.

Recalling the scene, he said that Chatterjee at that time declared that his party might have broken ties with him but he had not broken his ties with his party.

“In today's world, people do not take time to change parties. We have just come out of the elections. Which party among us has not seen the process of coming and going? Some get angry with others when they get a ticket. Some get angry with their party when they don’t get a ticket and knock on the doors of other parties. There are very few politicians like Somnath Chatterjee, who are consistent with their principles,” Abdullah said.

He said that Chatterjee’s life was a learning lesson for all of us as the politician’s principles are very important.