As Omar Abdullah on Friday became the first elected chief minister in eight years to unfurl the national flag and preside over the main Independence Day function at Bakshi stadium in Srinagar, he used this opportunity to take on Centre over delay and non-restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
In what is being seen as strongest and stern message to Centre, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the dual governance system in place is structured “not for success” but “for failure” . Though he has been often criticising what he chooses to say dual power centres,, this time he said it openly that his government’s decisions get stuck with the Raj Bhavan as a result of which governance gets impacted.
Abdullah added: “Sometimes I feel… that if our situation can be compared with something, it is to a horse whose front legs are tied and who is told to run. It may be able to walk, reach from here to there, but it will face great difficulty. And the speed at which it may want to reach, it won’t be able to… Hamari bhi haalat yahi hai. Hamein hukumat di gayi hai, hukumat mein ikhtiyariyat hai, lekin kahin na kahin hamare haath hamari peeth ke peechay baandhe gaye hain (Our condition is the same. We have been given power, that power has its rights, but somewhere, our hands have been tied behind our backs).”
“I do not want anyone to be the Chief Minister of a Union Territory. I have repeatedly said this system of governance is not for success, it is for failure,” Abdullah said, adding that he did not realise it was going to be “so difficult”. “I did not know that attempts would be made to change the decisions of the Cabinet without the approval of the Cabinet. I did not know that decisions of the Cabinet would be stopped. They would not be approved. They would be locked up somewhere and forgotten”.
Giving his first Independence Day speech after returning as CM, at Bakshi Stadium here, Abdullah announced a signature campaign seeking the return of statehood to J&K, while questioning the delay in doing so. He was beginning to lose hope on this after multiple reassurances, he said.Abdullah unfurled the tricolour at the Bakshi stadium and was provided a guard of honour before he inspected the contingents taking part in the parade.He later took salute as contingents from various wings of Jammu and Kashmir police, Central Armed Paramilitary Forces and school children marched past the podium.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was the last chief minister to preside over the Independence Day function here in 2017.
The PDP-BJP coalition government fell after the saffron party withdrew support to its local partner in June 2018, leading to imposition of Governor’s rule in the erstwhile state.
Follow us
