Different era to govern in, pointless to discuss 100 days of functioning: Omar
Srinagar, Jan 28: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that the elected government is concentrating on resolving people’s issues and it is worthless to count for how many days the government has been in place in Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is worthless for us to count days. It serves no purpose when we talk of 100 days of working. You know it is a different era in place after a period of six years. It takes time to understand the domain and functioning of the government. Earlier, I had served as Chief Minister of the state and there were special provisions people were enjoying, but today it is a Union Territory which is entirely different. But it is our endeavour to maintain good relations between people and the government and we have succeeded in it. We also tried to start fulfilling promises made in the election manifesto,” said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during a programme organised by a TV channel.
The Chief Minister admitted difficulties in functioning of the government, at a time when Jammu & Kashmir is being commanded and controlled from two power centres, he added.
“We are transferring KAS officers, while IAS is being transferred from Raj Bhawan. This is due to the dual control system. The cabinet decisions are being sent to the Lieutenant Governor Office for approval. LG is taking care of law and order under the order of New Delhi. Earlier it was the cabinet which was deciding who will be DC, SP, IG, Div Com, Chief Secretary etc, and now we are not deciding their appointments. Their command and control is not in our hands but we feel this system will not remain in place for long,” Omar Abdullah further said.
He highlighted that the elected government of J&K is not powerless. “The government is not powerless. Had we been powerless, you would have questioned LG, and not me. If today elected representatives are sitting in front of you, it means there lies something in our hands,” Omar said.
He also said that recently held Assembly elections, the National Conference did not “hide anything from people”. “We clarified each and everything that if we have to resolve 100 percent issues, that needs full-fledged statehood. But still I will say that there are issues which can be addressed and resolved despite J&K being a UT. We are hopeful the dual power will not remain in place for long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inaugural ceremony of Z-Morh Tunnel said that he will not retreat from his promises. We are chasing our targets and we will ensure our goals are achieved,” he said.
When asked about resolutions passed by cabinet and legislative assembly, the chief minister Omar Abdullah said that both resolutions exist. “I myself handed over the cabinet resolution to PM Narendra Modi, as the assembly resolution is more worthy and meaningful for me as we sent it to New Delhi which didn’t reject it. It is a big success for us,” he said.
When asked about the promise of restoration of Article 370 and 35(A), he said: “It will be like cheating people if we tell them that we will get back rights from those who took away the same from us. This will be a foolish commitment. At least we won’t cheat our people. If BJP would wait for years to abrogate the special status of J&K, why shouldn’t we wait for some time to get it back”.
Omar added: “I don’t think there is a need to be satisfied with the work done in the previous 100 days. I believe there is a need to do more and more. I can say at least we have succeeded in restoring connection between the government and the people.
To a query about transfers of Anti-Corruption Bureau officers who were investigating alleged scam in Srinagar Smart City works, the chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the move, stating that such transfers undermine the principles of transparency and accountability. “These transfers should not have taken place,” he remarked. However, he clarified that the ACB does not fall under his jurisdiction. “If this department were under my control, such transfers perhaps wouldn’t have occurred,” he added.
On the issue of Uniform Civil Code and the Waqf (amendment) Bill, Omar on Tuesday said it is Parliament which will take a final call.
Notably, Uttarakhand on Monday became the first state to implement UCC with the ruling BJP fulfilling a major commitment made ahead of the 2022 assembly polls, while the Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted all amendments proposed by the ruling BJP-led NDA members and negated every change moved by opposition members.
“Let them do what they want to do till a law is enacted for the country. Finally, it is Parliament which will decide on this and not the individual UTs or States,” Omar told reporters, reacting to the implementation of the UCC in Uttarakhand.
In response to another question related to the Waqf Bill, Omar said the Parliamentary Committee is still holding discussions and the government is not implementing any law.
Recently, Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq met the Committee and put forth his view point. “Let the committee complete its work, then Parliament will discuss its report,” the Chief Minister said.
