Questions delay in approval of business rules; warns government cannot be held responsible if a Gen-Z–like episode erupts over reservation
Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 14 :
Stating that the Jantar Mantar protest was only the beginning of the campaign for the restoration of statehood, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said its reinstatement was a “super promise” made by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Talking to reporters, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the Chief Minister said the country must remember that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were promised the restoration of statehood.
“The country needs to remember that we were promised. It was not an ordinary promise; it was Modi Ka Vaada (the promise of PM Modi). It is said that there are normal promises, and then there are super promises. This was a super promise. Why has this super promise not been fulfilled? We are not getting any answers,” he said.
Omar Abdullah reiterated that the Jantar Mantar protest was not the end of the campaign but rather its beginning.
“We will decide what we have to do,” he said, adding that there were various options available.
When asked whether the party was planning to hold a long march for the restoration of statehood, the Chief Minister said he was not aware of any such plan.
“They have not shared their plans with me. Let them share. Obviously, we are not going to discuss it with you first. We will discuss it among ourselves. There are many options. Apparently, I hear my party is planning a long march. It is a good thing. That is not a wrong thing,” he said.
Responding to a question about the approval of business rules, Omar Abdullah said he is eagerly waiting for it.
“We have responded to all queries and made changes in the proposal regarding provisions on which objections were raised. We are now waiting for its implementation. We have shown full flexibility from our side and even shared it informally,” he said, adding that he is scheduled to meet the Union Home Minister in next few days to discuss different issues, including business rules.
The CM also questioned the delay in implementing the cabinet decision on reservation.
“The cabinet responded to queries on reservation. As per rules, the reply was sent to the LG. What happened after that? Let someone tell us whether our reply was sent to Delhi and whether it was approved. It should not happen that a Gen-Z episode starts here. We would not be responsible for it. We have done our work. We justified the changes proposed in reservation. It is not good that they push our cabinet decisions under the carpet,” he said.
Asked about local body elections, the Chief Minister said they should be held at an appropriate time.
He further said Jammu and Kashmir had suffered due to restrictions imposed under the Indus Water Treaty and asserted that the region should have the first right over its river waters.
Questioning Pakistan’s claims of sympathy towards Kashmiris, he said such sympathy disappeared when it came to water resources.
The CM said that Jammu and Kashmir had faced restrictions on the use of its rivers, including the Chenab, and was unable to undertake certain projects for drinking water, power generation, and navigation.
“We could not get drinking water from Chenab, could not make a dam on Tulbul and use it for navigation, and could not make a big dam on any of their rivers and stop the water,” he said, adding that the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty should allow Jammu and Kashmir to make greater use of its water resources.
“Now that the Indus Water Treaty has been cancelled, it should remain cancelled so that we can use this water properly at the right time,” Omar added—(KNO)