news details |
|
|
| No regrets, Omar enjoys Mission Istanbul | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | July 27
When Kuldeep Kumar Verma offered the supreme sacrifice of his life, he referred to the speech of Omar Abdullah made in Parliament on July 23 which apparently provoked him to take the extreme step but the National Conference president, who is celebrating his speech, has no regrets at all.
After casting his vote in the Parliament and delivering a ten-minute long bombshell speech, which Kuldeep said motivated him to offer sacrifice of his life, Omar returned to Srinagar on July 24. Till this morning, he was in the Valley for four days but he never reacted to the media reports about Kuldip’s sacrifice owing to his provoking speech.
What all the National Conference president has to say on his speech and the situation assuming in Jammu is: “The fact that my speech struck a cord in the valley and the rest of the country as well is a unique experience for me. The sad, but some what predictable, reaction to my speech in Jammu has been a source of much anguish for me. The political leaders with a vested interest in keeping this anger alive in Jammu took one sentence in isolation and built the foundations of their agitation around that”.
Pointing out that some BJP leaders were in touch with him before July 22, Omar writes in his blog: “It obviously did not suit them to read what I said about land with what I said about the yatra because that would have changed everything. It’s a pity that when they burn my effigy they do not also tell the people that until a few days ago they were calling me up and sending me messages to cast my vote along with the NDA in Parliament”.
Instead of clearing his stand and offering condolences to Kuldip’s family, Omar is back in New Delhi. Unmindful of what is happening in Jammu, Omar was reportedly enjoying the just released movie Mission Istanbul with his family in New Delhi this evening. In Apporva Lakhia’s movie Mission Istanbul, which was released on Friday, Omar Abdullah has a small scene when he comments on the role of media in conflict situations like Kashmir and Afghanistan. Lakhia is an old time class mate and friend of Omar.
In latest posting on his blog, Omar says, “so my movie has finally been released. I say my movie because it’s the only one I’ve had anything to do with. The critics have been merciless with it and no one has who reviewed it has given it more than two stars”. He adds, “not to worry I’m going to take the family to watch it and we will form our own opinions about it. All I can say is I hope the audience is more forgiving then the critics have been. Tickets are hard to come by on this, the first weekend of the movie, so that should tell me something”.
On his speech in Parliament, Omar says: “the dust has not yet settled around my speech and the comments continue. Some of them critical, some indifferent but most of them positive and appreciative of what I said. “I was going to narrate the incidents that lead up to my speech but I guess I will save them for my book if I ever get down to writing one”, says Omar.
“They say you cannot keep all of the people happy all of the time and life has shown me that this is true. I guess one has to reach out to as many people as possible knowing that there are some who will not appreciate what is said (or in cases done), some will be down right critical - not because they disagree but because they have such strong personal dislikes that they are unable to rise above them and be objective and yet others will be indifferent. So has been the case with the reaction to my speech”
Reacting to feedback on his site, Omar says, “this blog has been reflective of the way in which the speech has been received. Some have been indifferent - we liked it but……….. Others have been critical not about the speech or the sentiment or whether it was genuine or not, they are unable to simply rise above the preset notions they have about me. They like to think of me in a particular way and no power on Earth will change that - ””damn the speech, what about this that and the other?”” There are those, for whom I have a lot of time and personal regard, who disagree with me in the strongest possible terms and language but can argue on merit. For them I am seldom right and my politics is all wrong but in the odd case when I am right they will happily accept it and do so publicly. The vast majority have been quick to appreciate what I have said and I am humbled by the reaction” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
