Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir Sunil Sharma on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the National Conference (NC) and Congress, holding the two parties responsible for the rise of militancy in the region and for misleading the public for political gain. He added that the demand for the restoration of statehood was to kill innocent Kashmiris.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Sharma said militancy started when the NC and Congress were in power and credited the BJP for bringing stability to the region. He said 7,000 law and order incidents occurred during Omar Abdullah's government. “During our administration, only 18 such incidents took place,” he said. “That is the difference between their politics and our governance.”
He credited the BJP’s ‘fair and firm’ policy for people leading a normal life, the functioning of schools, and thriving businesses. Sharma also accused the NC of deceiving the people of Kashmir by spreading hatred against the Centre.
“I urge the people not to fall for their divisive politics and to view the BJP positively,” the LoP said.
He said Abdullah was Chief Minister only because he belongs to the Abdullah family.“He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Their politics revolves around exploiting people’s sentiments and spreading lies about the Centre,” he said. “They say they are not in power, yet every file passes through their hands.”
He said the NC’s campaign against the BJP is aimed at the Budgam by-election.
Taking a dig at the NC for failing to deliver on the issue of reservation and regularisation of daily wagers, Sharma said that not a single consolidated worker has been regularised.
Recalling the “blinding of children on the streets” when the NC was in power, Sharma asked, “Do you want statehood to kill innocent Kashmiris? During your tenure, many civilians were targeted under the guise of counter-terrorism. Wasn’t statehood with your governments between 1996 and 2014? Did it serve the people then?”
He also blamed the NC for introducing the Public Safety Act (PSA) and pellet guns in Kashmir. “The highest number of innocent civilians were killed during their rule,” he said. “The BJP has eliminated terrorism without harming civilians.”
He said nobody can raise a finger at the Ministry of Home Affairs for harming civilians. He called the fact that local youth are not joining terrorism as the biggest achievement of the BJP. “This shows that Kashmiri youth have accepted democratic politics,” he said.
He rejected the Chief Minister’s claim of being powerless.
“The Lieutenant Governor has approved 97 decisions of the Council of Ministers over the past year,” he said. “Tell me, which file has not been approved by the LG? Which pro-people decisions have been held back, be it 200 units of free electricity, 12 LPG cylinders, 10 kilograms of ration, or one lakh jobs?”
He also accused the Chief Minister of sitting on crucial files, including those related to the appointment of the Advocate General, the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, and the promotion of engineers.
Sharma said the BJP might not secure all four Rajya Sabha seats, but the party’s focus would remain on good governance, peace, and accountability. |
