Omar passing buck to PDP-BJP for his failures: Mehbooba

Jammu, Nov 10: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of “passing the buck to her party for his own failures vis-à-vis fulfilment of promises made in the National Conference (NC) manifesto.”

Addressing a news conference at the PDP office in Jammu, Mehbooba said that even for CM Omar’s letdown in case of achieving statehood, if the CM was blaming the PDP, it was only because he very well knew that the PDP was the only political party that was a better alternative to NC, and the PDP had proved it also.

The former chief minister also hit out at her main political adversary for holding her and her party responsible for the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A.

In this context, she recalled the much-hyped meeting between the NC leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, a day or two ahead of the abrogation of Article 370.

She said that CM Omar, in desperation, was using PDP as a smokescreen to hide his failure at every front.

“This amazed me that despite having such a massive mandate of 50 seats to the Congress-NC alliance, the CM could not fulfil even a single promise made in his party’s manifesto. They have MPs and now have three MPs in the Rajya Sabha as well. But this government did nothing,” Mehbooba said.

“People of Budgam were asking him where he was during the past year? He was not just an MLA (of Budgam) but the CM as well. When the people, as it happened in Budgam recently, ask him why he has failed in providing free power, 12 free LPG cylinders, free ration, 1 lakh jobs, or fulfilling his promise of not installing smart meters during a year, he has no answer, so he starts blaming PDP-BJP (alliance government) for anything and everything,” she said.

The PDP chief alleged that CM Omar sought votes by raising only the issue of PDP-BJP (alliance government) during parliamentary polls, then in assembly polls, and now in the by-poll.

“After one year in office, he should tell people what he and his government have done, yet he (CM) had nothing else to say but to keep parroting PDP-BJP… and pass the buck to PDP for every failure. In the case of smart meters, the CM has actually taken a U-turn by linking it and his promise of free 200 units of power to the installation of solar panels,” she said.

“Out of frustration, the CM is whipping the dead horse (PDP-BJP alliance), just to hide his own fiascos. Now that the alliance government is not there. Years have passed since then. So, for how long, will he continue to fool people by raking it up?” she said, adding that the CM and his party were afraid of PDP and its three MLAs.

“PDP, just having three MLAs brought bills related to daily wagers, under-trials, and the Waqf Act, notwithstanding that they held no power and their bills were either not taken up or rejected,” Mehbooba said. “With just three MLAs, we could do this. NC fears what will happen if another PDP member enters the precincts of the legislature as an MLA.”

The former chief minister said that given the NC’s failure to fulfil its promises, including the one to fight the cases of under-trials lodged in jails outside J&K, the PDP was forced to move to court to seek justice and provide reprieve to their suffering families.

“NC had promised to give ownership rights to the poor people living on the state land for years and decades. We even brought the bills on these issues in the state assembly after they assured to support pro-people bills, whether related to daily wagers while seeking PDP votes. We even voted for them, yet our bills were not supported, and the CM, in the assembly, dubbed the poor people as land grabbers,” Mehbooba said.

Taking an oblique dig at the NC leadership, she said, “If Omar Sahab has to actually see the land-grabbing, he should check the list of people grabbing forest land in Bhatindi, people occupying State and Custodian land at Gupkar Road. In the Bhatindi list, the name of Dr Farooq (Abdullah) also figures. At Gupkar Road, the land (grabbed) was 3-4 kanals in 1975-76 when the Sheikh-Indira accord had occurred; now it (land-grabbing) has expanded to over 100 kanal. The land at Gupkar Road was leased to the members of their (NC leadership’s) family and relatives. The CM should tell the people – who figured in those lists of land grabbers?”

The PDP President also targeted the CM for what she said, camping along with his 35-40 MLAs in Budgam for campaigning for over a week.

“Just for one seat, which would not affect his government in any manner, his MLAs visited each and every house, misusing (State) machinery,” she said.

With regard to CM Omar’s accusation that the dismissal of employees (over alleged terror links) started during the tenure of Mehbooba Mufti as the CM, she said, “What Omar Sahab did then? Did he ask me? Had he asked me then, I would have given him evidence. But even now, what is he doing when the employees are being dismissed without any evidence? Today, the judge and executioner are the same, but the CM has not been able to create a whimper. For his Advisor’s MoS status and small-time transfers, he fights with the Lieutenant Governor, but he does not talk about employees (being terminated).”

In response to another query, she said that if the CM talked about unrest during the PDP government, who would answer about the 2010 unrest, the Machil encounter, or the Shopian rape and murder case?

“During my tenure, when a minor was raped and killed, I dropped two ministers. During my tenure, no fake encounter took place. But what is the present CM doing? He should tell this,” the PDP chief said.

Mehbooba said that the CM was misusing his government as a “weapon” to threaten people in Nagrota and Budgam when he would say, to vote for the ruling candidate to benefit the electorate only.

Regarding charges about NC approaching the BJP for the government formation, she opted to play safe, while referring to the revelations made by late BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana.

“It was revealed by (late) Rana Sahab that Omar Sahab, along with him (Rana), and one of the NC MPs, in 2014, met the then BJP President Amit Shah with the offer for the alliance government formation. I cannot say anything on this account. However, ahead of Article 370 abrogation, Farooq Sahab and Omar Sahab met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What transpired between them, only God knows,” she said.

About the daily wagers, she, while giving a detailed account of steps taken for their regularisation, said that her party would support every endeavour of the government (for regularisation) for the sake of humanity.

Responding to a question about senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh, who, while campaigning in Bihar, sought to link terrorism and terrorists with a particular religion, Mehbooba questioned who killed Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi.

She asserted that she was not talking about statehood.

“I’m insisting on a solution to the J&K problem. J&K is locked in a cage. It should be open from all sides. We are seeking the reopening of cross-border routes. We are for dialogue to resolve the political issue,” Mehbooba said.