Sunil Sharma criticises Omar Abdullah over statehood demand

Srinagar, Apr 12: Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP)  in J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the ruling National Conference (NC) on Saturday, asserting that the restoration of statehood was a BJP promise .

He accused the NC of resorting to religious provocation and political theatrics inside the Assembly. “It is unfortunate that the National Conference keeps harping about statehood. Statehood is our narrative; it is the BJP’s commitment, and it will be restored at an appropriate time by the Central government,” Sharma told reporters here.

He criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for, what he described as, shifting focus from governance to political drama. “Instead of delivering on the promises made to the people, he is indulging in emotional politics. The Assembly is being turned into a platform for religious sloganeering. The Assembly is not Jamia Masjid,” he said.

The BJP leader alleged that the NC leadership was trying to provoke communal sentiments by raising inappropriate slogans within the House. “They are raising slogans in the Assembly that belong to religious spaces. Are they trying to create a communal divide,” Sharma said.

He further warned that such actions were detrimental to the democratic spirit. “Do they want to turn the Assembly into a platform for legislative jihad? That won’t be tolerated. No citizen of Jammu and Kashmir, including Muslims, would accept such a statehood,” he said.

Sharma accused the NC of stalling legislative procedures to avoid accountability. “This is the first time in the Assembly’s history that the ruling party itself blocked proceedings. They opposed the Waqf Amendment Bill and paralyzed the House for three days—just to evade debates on public issues,” he said.

LoP added that the National Conference has failed to implement its own manifesto. “They talk about women’s welfare but raised fuel prices after announcing free rides for women. The ground reality doesn’t reflect governance; it reflects betrayal,” Sharma said.

Highlighting the progress under the BJP-led Central government, Sharma reiterated that all Centrally-sponsored schemes will continue without disruption. “We are committed to the holistic development of Jammu and Kashmir. Every section of society is being uplifted under our governance,” he said.

Sunil Sharma credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for restoring normalcy in the region. “The days of hartals and stone-pelting are over. Schools are open, businesses are running, and downtown Srinagar is thriving—something unimaginable under previous regimes,” he said.

Referring to the NC’s past tenure, senior BJP accused the party of negligence and complicity during periods of violence. “NC often claims that 10,000 of their workers were killed. But those deaths happened when Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were heading the Home Department. Since law and order came under the Union Home Ministry, not a single NC worker has been harmed,” he asserted.

He went a step further, asking the NC to acknowledge its failures. “Were they unable to protect their workers, or were they complicit with the conspirators,” he questioned.

Sunil Sharma also targeted the PDP, saying that both NC and PDP failed to use laws like the Public Safety Act (PSA) effectively to curb terrorism, separatism and protect civilians. “Instead, they allowed miscreants to roam freely, resulting in civilian casualties, just to appease separatist forces,” he alleged.

Commenting on the current security situation, Sharma said that terrorism has been pushed to remote forests . “There is a big difference between the past and now. Peace is real and visible. Terrorists are no longer in cities; they’ve been driven into the jungles,” he said and added that today even the graves of NC leaders are being guarded by security forces. “That alone speaks volumes about the progress we have made.” “Our commitment is clear: restore peace, ensure development, and uphold the dignity of the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.