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Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asked the Centre not to treat his patience for the restoration of statehood as a weakness and demanded that the Centre make the definition of ‘appropriate time’ clear.
He was addressing a grand workers’ convention at the mausoleum of his grandparents in Hazratbal on the occasion of the 26th death anniversary of his grandmother Akbar Jehan.
Abdullah asked that if the Centre was ready to talk to the people of Ladakh, “why not the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
Paying tribute to his grandmother, Abdullah said he has learnt a lot from her, but the biggest lesson was to have patience.
“We have to keep patience — as was shown by her. But patience is not the path of weakness. Patience is not the path of silence.
“It doesn’t mean that we don’t have to raise our voice for our rights. It doesn’t mean that you will take undue advantage of our patience. It doesn’t mean that you will think us weak. This patience is our strength, it is our voice, and God willing, this patience will be our success,” the chief minister said in a booming voice at the convention, overlooking the Dal lake.
He further said the central government should ask itself why after being in power for over one-and-a-half years, the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir was mulling a protest at Jantar Mantar.
“There must be some compulsion; something must have changed. I kept my political future and reputation at stake and told the Centre that we want to secure our rights through dialogue and not violence, knowing that this decision can be very risky for me politically,” he said.
Abdullah said after he formed the government, he wanted to give some time to the Centre to fulfil its promises.
“The reality is that they want to keep the situation like this,” he said.
The chief minister said his party’s success in assembly elections has become a “punishment” for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Why did you (let us)form the government if you will not allow it to function? What is the benefit? Then you should not have conducted the elections,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led central government of controlling governance of Jammu and Kashmir through the LG and said, “If you had to harass people through the Raj Bhavan, dismiss employees and run bulldozers, then why did you bring us forward?”
“They should have told us at that time that you come forward, but we will tie your hands behind your back. That we will give you those officers who will not implement (your) decisions. It is our patience that we are still working like donkeys to achieve something for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Abdullah also asked the Centre to define the implication of “appropriate time”.
“I ask them, for God’s sake, how will we know that the appropriate time has come. What do I and my colleagues have to do to reach that appropriate time,” he said.
He further asked if the appropriate time implies BJP coming to power in the erstwhile state. “Have the courage to say it publicly. At least, we will not remain in this deception that you will fulfil the promise,” he added.
Pointing to electors’ participation in the parliamentary and assembly, polls, the chief minister asked how many more elections will have to be fought on the hope that statehood would be eventually restored.
“Now, you say you want to conduct local bodies and panchayat polls; we also want that,” he said, but added that the Jammu and Kashmir government will decide what the appropriate time for conducting the local bodies polls would be.
“Both sides can use this ‘appropriate time’. You have made a joke of our patience, decency and silence. Do you want to light a fire here?” Abdullah asked. (Agencies)
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