Omar Abdullah has surrendered before Delhi, claims Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar, April 4 (IANS) Former Jammu and Kashmir CM and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supremo Mehbooba Mufti on Friday accused chief minister, Omar Abdullah of having ‘surrendered before Delhi’.

Mehbooba Mufti told reporters that instead of taking a stand on real issues, the NC government led by Omar Abdullah was focusing on who between them and the Lt Governor is empowered to transfer officials.

She accused the Omar Abdullah-led government of surrendering before New Delhi.

“People thought when the new government came, it would protect their rights.

“Unfortunately, it has been six months, but it has not talked about the plight of the youth in jails, the termination of our employees, or the issues of daily wagers, unemployment etc. The government has shown cowardice in everything”, Mehbooba Mufti alleged.

Referring to Omar Abdullah's remarks that the Jammu and Kashmir government does not want to have a confrontation with the Central government, Mehbooba Mufti said that the NC dispensation is ‘afraid’ to even talk about the issues people voted it to power on.

“When they came to power they said they do not want a confrontation with the Central government. Nobody wants a confrontation with Delhi. But, you have already surrendered. You are afraid to even talk about the issues for which people voted for you”, she added.

She said when the employees from departments headed by the Omar Abdullah were terminated, he did not say anything.

“But, today, for the transfer of patwaris (revenue officials), the MLAs of a party and its allies got together," she said while referring to NC-led alliance resolution passed on Friday in the backdrop of transfers ordered by Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha.

"Did the people of Jammu and Kashmir vote this party for these issues? Is the issue of transfer of Patwaris a big issue? Or the issue is that our youth are rotting in jails? Or that there are raids every day? Or that Jamia Masjid is closed despite the improvement in the situation? We do not talk about the real problems, but about who will transfer Patwaris? Who will transfer village level workers? I think this is very bad.

“J&K government is responsible for this because as soon as the government was formed they surrendered saying they do not want any confrontation with Delhi. Leave Article 370 aside, they do not want to take its name, but they do not talk about other problems faced by people either. They raise the issue of why the LG transferred the Patwaris, and why can’t we do it?

“I think this is not a good thing for a government that has received such a huge mandate, or to call such a big meeting on such small issues. I think this is a joke with the mandate that people have given him," Mehbooba Mufti said.

--IANS

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