EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 19: Crises within the National Conference have mounted with the release of its two senior leaders and party’s vice President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah not visiting the freed leaders at least once.
As per the sources within the party, many senior leaders annoyed with the way Omar Abdullah has been treating many of his senior colleagues who were freed after almost 10 months of captivity recently. One of the senior leaders who holds an important position within the national conference was released and his PSA was revoked recently. Omar didn’t visit him. On the contrary, ailing Dr. Farooq Abdullah, in order to pacify the situation, had to move out of his fortified Gupkar bungalow to visit the freed party leader. “Omar sahib had time to fly to Delhi amid Corona crises to meet his acquaintances there amid the corona threat. However, he had no time to even travel to a few kilometers from his house to meet the leaders of his party who were freed after almost 10 months. This is unacceptable and saddening to the core,” says a party functionary.
As per the reports coming to fore, there are differences emerging between various senior political leaders and Omar Abdullah at present with many questioning Omar’s stoic silence ever since he was released in March this year. National Conference President and Member of Parliament Dr Farooq Abdullah soon after his release instead of making his stand public on the prevailing situation asked people to follow health advisories following the unprecedented situation in face of coronavirus threat. Scores of delegations from across Kashmir called on Abdullah at his residence to greet him on his release.The delegations comprising of workers, party functionaries, delegates and civil society groups had come from Shopian, Langate, Zadibal, Hazratbal, Pulwama, Charar- e- Sharief, Chadooora, Kokarnag, Baramulla, Anantnag, Shangus, Qazigund constituencies. As the participants and the media persons attending the event were expecting Abdullah to break his silence on 370 issue, the veteran politician surprised everyone and talked Coronavirus and not the special status.
Later, Omar echoed the words of his father Dr Farooq Abdulalh and demanded the government of India must release all prisoners detained on August 5 last year irrespective of their party affiliations and that 4-G internet services should be restored so that people learn how to fight the deadly Covid-19. Talking to reporters at his Gupkar residence, soon after he was released from almost eight-month long detention by the J&K government, Omar said that as far as Article 370 and 35 A, he will speak on the issues openly in detail later. “At present, I will speak about how we can get rid of Covid-19. We are fighting a big fight against Coronavirus. Today, when we were asked to maintain social distancing, here we are together violating the very orders,” he said. |
