The Congress party is standing by its coalition partner, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in spite of strong criticism of his controversial speech on the floor of the Kashmir assembly from other quarters.
Marshalls were used today to forcibly evict protesting BJP and National Panthers Party MLAs, after they stormed the Well of the House protesting against Abdullah’s speech. On Wednesday, Abdullah had said, “Kashmir is an outstanding issue which needs to be resolved”, and “my government is not a puppet in the hands of the Centre”.
Backing the CM – who is known to be a close friend of party general secretary Rahul Gandhi – the Congress, in New Delhi, found nothing wrong in his remarks. “What should he say? Should he say he is a puppet? After all, he is an elected chief minister of a state,” said AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh.
“He is the chief minister of a state. He should not unnecessarily allow the message to go that he is weak and unnecessarily harassed and interfered with. In a federal system, the chief minister has his own views. He has his own existence.”
But the BJP wants Abdullah to go and claimed he had no moral right to continue as the chief minister of the state after making the statement. “He has been a flop chief minister and he is now making these statements to hide his inefficiency and incompetence. It is very sad that Omar Abdullah is making such statements,” said BJP spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.
“The Congress party continues to be in the government in the state. Even separatists are not talking the way Omar Abdullah is speaking. He should not forget that his father is also a minister in the Union government,” added Hussain.
In Srinagar, as soon as the House assembled for the day’s proceedings, Harsh Dev Singh of the Panthers Party sought the permission of the Speaker to raise some points with regard to Omar’s reply on the law and order debate in the Assembly on Wednesday. While Singh said that Omar should not have questioned Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India, Ashok Khajuria of BJP remarked anyone having a problem with India should go to Pakistan.
Angry opposition leaders also shouted slogans: ‘Hurriyat ka agenda nahi chalega (We will not allow Hurriyat agenda)’, ‘Separatist government nahi chalegi’ and ‘Pakistani agenda nahi chalega’.
The BJP legislature party will boycott the remaining sessions of the Assembly, scheduled to end on October 9.
