omar-abdullah-faces-heat-for-secessionist-remarks

Omar Abdullah, who lost the LS polls against jailed leader Engineer in the Baramulla constituency, landed in hot soup on Thursday after he posted a news article on social media suggesting that Engineer Rashid’s win in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat would empower "secessionists." 

 

The excerpts of his article were later picked up and shared on the PVT-owned television news channels here, which attributed the excerpts to Omar.

 

His tweets and posts were quickly responded to with fiery responses by the Netizens and some of the Kashmir Valley's mainstream politicians. 

 

“Rashid’s victory, without doubt, will empower secessionists, and give Kashmir’s defeated Islamist movement a renewed sense of hope. Efforts to draw secessionism back into electoral politics led New Delhi to support the rise of the People’s Democratic Party, and its alliance with…

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 6, 2024

Omar Abdullah was defeated by Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as 'Engineer Rashid', who was jailed under the UAPA, with more than two lakh votes in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Abdullah had conceded defeat and congratulated Rashid on his win.

 

“The ‘big loser’ tag certainly hurts, but it’s an election; you win some, you lose some, and life goes on,” Abdullah posted on X, a day after attending an INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi. This reaction came after some news articles referred to him and others as the "top losers" of the Lok Sabha polls.

 

Recalling his school song, Abdullah said on X, “Never give in is our motto; strive till the set of Sun; And we learn it’s truth; In the days of youth on the long Hodson run; For though your heart appears to be bursting; Up Sergeant Tilly's hill; THOUGH YOU MAY NOT WIN; YOU WILL YET COME IN; IF YOU STAY STILL."

 

PDP youth president Waheed Para took a dig at Abdullah for sharing the news article, posting on X, “Extremely disappointed with @Omar Abdullah’s regressive stance, echoing the divisive politics of 1987, and dubbing a democratic expression as an ‘Islamist wave’. 

 

His family’s history with the Muslim Conference clashes with calls for the exclusion of PDP, Er Rashid, and JeI and will put Kashmir into perpetual conflict with the State.

 

A more prudent approach would have been acknowledging mandate, akin to @MehboobaMufti’s plea for Er Rashid’s release.”

 

After much criticism, Abdullah said, “The articles I’ve put here are not my views, but they are a point of view.

 

“I may agree with parts or disagree with parts, but they are opinions. As for Rashid’s release, it’s a matter for the courts, as it is in all such cases,” Abdullah added.