Senior leaders of the ruling National Conference (NC) have issued veiled criticism of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of drifting away from the party’s election promises and failing to deliver on the core issue of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a gathering on Sunday, Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said the core issues before the elections were statehood and Article 370, promises that now seem forgotten.
“If normalising relations with the establishment in Delhi was the purpose, they should have told people during the elections,” he said.
Ruhullah said while cozying up to New Delhi might be acceptable in some corners for routine governance, “what could have been has not happened. Now it’s time for the party to introspect on certain moves.”
Expressing shock over recent comments made by the Chief Minister, he said, “People in the UT lost all hope after 2019 as they were not allowed to raise their voice through constant subjugation. However, people who voted for us hoped that through their vote they would elect a government that would listen to them, yet the same ruler now says he won’t come under pressure from the people.”
On the issue of bypoll, Ruhullah admitted that he could not campaign for the NC candidate in the Budgam by-election because “I could not justify my party’s ‘volte-face’ after coming to power, especially on the issue of smart electricity meters.”
Ruhullah further added that “he was elected by the people of Kashmir for his work and not because of the party”.
The criticism did not stop there. NC’s other MP, Mian Altaf Larvi, a popular leader among the Nomads and herding communities in Kashmir, said since Omar Abdullah is the Chief Minister, “he must speak and act responsibly.
He said, “Rather than focusing on who said what, Omar should focus on delivering his promises made during the 2024 assembly elections. He must focus on the welfare, justice, reviving trade and tourism and jobs for skilled youth who have been disempowered by the policies of the central government.”
He further added, “Omar is becoming over-responsive to everything; he should settle down on a certain amount of criticism, as he is an elected representative, and people expect him to deliver on the promises.”
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