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| Bickering in coalition: Cong launches veiled attack at CM Omar | | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, June 8: Amid growing concerns over the Jammu and Kashmir government’s increasing closeness to the BJP-led Union Government, the Congress on Saturday launched a veiled attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of deliberately ignoring the contributions of successive Congress-led governments in the completion of the Kashmir rail project.
Addressing a joint press conference in Jammu to review Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit, senior Congress leaders used the platform to express displeasure over Omar Abdullah’s failure to acknowledge the role played by Congress Prime Ministers in implementing the railway project.
Referring to the timeline of the Kashmir rail project, Congress leaders highlighted that the rail link from Pathankot to Jammu was completed in 1972 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She also sanctioned the extension to Udhampur, which was later inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2005.
“The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail line was sanctioned during the tenure of PV Narasimha Rao. Before 2014, the project had progressed significantly, with rail connectivity reaching Katra on one end and Baramulla via Banihal on the other,” the Congress leaders recalled.
In a subtle jibe at Omar Abdullah, they pointed out that Dr. Manmohan Singh had visited Jammu and Kashmir five times to inaugurate various sections of the project, and on four of those occasions, Omar Abdullah had accompanied him as Chief Minister.
“Out of the total 272 km rail line, over 160 km was operational before the Modi government assumed office in 2014,” they stated, adding that the UPA government had executed massive development works across Jammu and Kashmir — including power projects, healthcare and education infrastructure, and major road and rail connectivity — achievements that the current government is now trying to claim credit for.
As previously reported, during the recent inauguration of the iconic Chenab and Anji bridges and the flagging off of the Vande Bharat Express to Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was lauded by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who made a point to acknowledge the role of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in declaring the Kashmir rail link a project of national importance.
Despite the Congress party’s continued emphasis over the past three days on its past contributions to the railway project, the Chief Minister made no mention of the Grand Old Party or its leaders during his public statements.
Instead, Omar Abdullah praised Prime Minister Modi for accelerating developmental initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir and expressed hope that statehood would be restored under Modi’s leadership.
Hailing Modi’s leadership, the Chief Minister described the completion of the railway project as a reflection of the Centre’s commitment to the region’s development.
“This progress owes much to the vision of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, who declared this railway line a project of national importance. Since then, the project has seen consistent progress and budgetary prioritization,” he said. |
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