Omar govt did nothing in past one year: Mehbooba on bypoll eve

Jammu: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday accused the National Conference government in Jammu Kashmir of failing to fulfil its promises even after completing one year in office, claiming that it secured a large mandate in last year’s Assembly polls but has “nothing to show” when it came to governance or development.

The former J-K chief minister said people participated in the elections in large numbers, even in areas that earlier witnessed poll boycotts, to form a strong government, hoping for stability and relief from years of grievances and problems.

“The National Conference-Congress government got around 50 seats, they got MPs, and have three members in the Rajya Sabha now. But despite such a strong mandate, nothing has been done,” she told reporters here.

People of Budgam showed their respect for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by giving him a strong mandate in the elections, but questioned his absence in the segment thereafter, she claimed.

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Bypolls will be held in Budgam, along with Nagrota, on Tuesday. The constituency fell vacant after Abdullah chose to retain Ganderbal and vacate Budgam after winning both the seats in last year’s elections.

“Where was he (Abdullah) for the past year? Promises were made on electricity, ration, gas cylinders, and employment, but none of them were fulfilled,” she alleged.

The PDP chief also said that instead of listing the government’s achievements, Omar Abdullah is “only targeting the PDP in his speeches”. “He (Abdullah) has no work to show. Had they done anything worth telling, they wouldn’t be repeating PDP’s name everywhere,” Mufti said.

Calling the election effort in Budgam “disproportionate” and “misuse” of state machinery, Mufti said, “For just one seat, Omar Abdullah and his entire government are sitting here. Every MLA is going door-to-door, and the entire administration is being used,” she alleged.

Mufti also accused the government of not acting on the assurances for jailed political workers. “They went door-to-door saying they would bring our people back from jails or fight their cases themselves. But nothing has happened. We are left with no option but to go to the court ourselves,” she said.

On the allegations of land grabbing by the chief minister, Mufti claimed the land rights Bill introduced in the Assembly was brought on the assurance of the National Conference in exchange for Rajya Sabha support.

Asking Abdullah to explain the alleged encroachments in Bathindi, Mufti said, “If you want to talk about land grab, tell people whose names were there on the Bathindi forest land list. Poor people make small houses of four or five marlas. If you want to see grand land grabbing, look at Gupkar Road.”

Mufti also said the Bill introduced during her rule aimed to provide ownership to poor families living on small plots for decades.

“When we brought that Bill, it was meant for poor families living in one or two-room houses for the past 20-30 years, so that they could get ownership. Omar Abdullah said he would not allow land grabbers to benefit. If one wants to see the biggest example of land grabbing, one should look at Bathindi.

“The name of Farooq Abdullah’s house is also on that list. Look at Gupkar Road – after the Indira-Sheikh Accord, prime land was leased at Re 1 per kanal to their (Abdullah) family. They now have 100 kanals of prime land. So, who is the biggest land grabber?” she asked.

Mufti also accused Abdullah of remaining silent on the ongoing dismissal of government employees and failing to fulfil key election promises in the past year of coalition rule.

Responding to Abdullah’s allegation that employee terminations began during the PDP-BJP government, Mufti claimed the current regime dismissed employees even while claiming normalcy in the region.

“Omar Abdullah says the dismissals started during our time. What did he do then? Today, the government of India says there is no militancy and everything is fine (in J-K), yet hundreds of employees are being sacked. Why is Omar Abdullah silent now?” she asked.

She also said that had Abdullah asked her then, she would have provided proof. “Today, one authority acts as judge, jury and executioner. If Omar Abdullah has courage, he should raise this issue,” she said.

On the allegations that PDP acts in alignment with the BJP, Mufti accused the National Conference of trying to deflect from its failure to deliver.

“They promised free electricity, 12 free gas cylinders, 10 kg of free ration, one lakh jobs, stopping employee terminations and release of political prisoners. Have they been fulfilled? Illegal mining and corruption are at their peak today,” she said.

Referring to the National Conference’s charge that “destruction” of Kashmir began under the PDP-BJP rule during the 2016 protests, Mufti cited earlier incidents.

“In 2010, there were protests after the Machil fake encounter and the Shopian case. Who was in power then? Who was responsible for Afzal Guru’s hanging?” Mufti asked.

“There were no fake encounters during my tenure. I even removed two ministers over an incident involving a minor girl. Omar Abdullah did nothing,” she added.

Speaking on the plight of daily wagers, Mufti claimed her government had initiated steps for their welfare.

“We registered around one lakh daily wagers and framed an SRO policy. We introduced a Bill for their regularisation, but it was not accepted. I stand with them on humanitarian grounds,” she said.

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