Srinagar : Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Monday termed the PDP-BJP state government as an alliance of “U-turns” and blamed it for the increasing regional divide.
He also blamed media for creating “hype” on the issue of waving of Pakistani flags in separatist rallies.
“The forming of the alliance in the state was in itself a U-turn. We thought it would be only a U-turn, but the government has symbolized the series of reversals on crucial issues,” he said at a press conference here as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government, formed on March 1 after hectic deliberations between the two ideologically-divergent partners, completed 100 days in power.
Abdullah, who is working president of the National Conference, also released a document titled “100 days of the U-turn government”, which seeks to list the “reversals” in the PDP-BJP agenda of alliance.
“From giving credit to separatists and Pakistan for smooth conduct of elections and then withdrawing it in assembly, be it release of political prisoners and rehabilitation of flood victims, this government has only reversed what it promised to people,” he said.
“When I was in power, it were they (PDP and BJP) who would oppose my recruitment policy and tried to rally the youth against NC. But now they have re-introduced the same job policy and made it more draconian. It is nothing but aimed at making back-door appointments,” he alleged.
Noting Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed turned down offers of NC and Congress and desired to form government with BJP as it will help him in getting free flow of funds for the state, he claimed this had not happened.
“People are crying for money after last year’s devastating floods. Developmental works have come to a standstill. Infrastructure is in ruins and state is in doldrums,” he said.
“As a premier opposition party, we appeal to the government of India to come forward as the state government has failed on all fronts. The centre should announce a package for the state, including Rs.44,000 crore rupees needed for rehabilitation of flood victims and for the development of the state,” he added.
Abdullah admitted that everything was not satisfactory during his tenure but claimed the coalition government went a step ahead of him.
Criticising the state government on super specialty hospital AIIMS issue, he said there is no clarity.
“Chief minister says AIIMS will be set up in Kashmir. Then someone says it will be first built in Jammu…. again there is no clarity like other issues. And today the gap between Kashmir and Jammu regions has increased,” he claimed.
On the repeal of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), he accused the PDP of having “dumped this issue as well for which it used to castigate me when I was in power”.
On the issue of Pakistani flags in separatist rallies, he said: “This waving of flags is not a new thing. It happened during my tenure as well but its frequency and the attention it received was less.”
In reply to a question on the Sayeed government’s assertion of carrying the previous government’s burden on state exchequer, Abdullah said: “Every government inherits some amount of work in progress. Nobody complains about it. I too inherited many things during my tenure.”
He said he hoped 100 days are enough for Sayeed to “leave this habit of U-turning on crucial issues and deliver a government he has promised to the people of the state”.