Omar Abdullah, vice president of the National Conference, stated on Wednesday that the BJP government’s revocation of Article 370 provisions has damaged the relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country.
Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks in Parliament, Abdullah asserted that the people of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are dissatisfied with the decision to rescind the erstwhile state’s special status.
“There is no doubt that they did it, and they have hurt the feelings of the people in doing so. The promises made to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 were not made by a single individual but by the country as a whole,” Abdullah remarked to reporters in Pulwama, 31 kilometers from there.
“The bond was not between a person in Delhi and JK; it was a link between a country and this state. If they believe that harming this bond deserves congratulating, then let them congratulate each other. The truth is that people in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are not happy with the actions taken on August 5, 2019,” Abdullah added.
He stated that people would demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the decisions when assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir.
“This was proved in Kargil (LAHDC polls). It was proved in DDC (District Development Council) polls, and we will prove it in the assembly elections as well…,” he added.
Abdullah claimed that the delay in holding assembly elections in the Union territory was pushing Jammu and Kashmir toward destruction.
“Towards destruction. People have been deprived of their right to vote since 2014. It is a strange kind of fixed match. When you ask the government, they will tell you that the Election Commission has to decide. When you ask the Election Commission, they say they will have to take a decision after consulting the government,” he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted in Parliament on Wednesday, while responding to a discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, that the Narendra Modi government has ensured that the country has only one flag and one Constitution.
