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| Omar's Position Untenable | | Yousuf's Death: Resignation demand gaining momentum | | Rustam
Jammu, Oct 6: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's position as Chief Minister has become untenable in the wake of the mysterious death of Hazi Syed Mohammad Yousuf, a prominent NC activist and the one reportedly very close to the Chief Minister and his father Farooq Abdullah - close to the extent that he would frequently fly with them and that the Chief Minister would ensure his introduction with AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi. The death of Yousuf has created a stir not only in the Valley where such deaths have invariably led to violent protests, shutdowns, police-crowd clashes and created additional difficulties for the nation in Kashmir, but also across the country. The nature of the stir caused by the death of Yousuf could be gauged from the fact that political parties cutting across ideological difference and inter-party rivalries have started speaking in one voice and demanding resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who is being charged with acting in a manner that led to the death under scrutiny.
It is already too well-known that the People's Democratic Party (PDP), which considers the National Conference (NC) its main political rival in the Kashmir Valley and whose single-point agenda all through has been to damage the Abdullah dynasty for obvious reasons, was the first to demand resignation of Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Nasir Aslam Wani (Sogami), saying a fair investigation into the case was impossible as long as they are in power. It is also too well-known that it was because of the PDP's insistence on a detailed discussion on the circumstances leading to the death of Yousuf that had culminated in the adjournment of the House umpteen times on October 3 and 4. The Speaker of the Assembly adjourned the Assembly sine die on October 4, the last day of the 9-day-long session of the state legislature. It is hardly necessary to refer to here what happened in the assembly during those two days, as the memory of what happened is too fresh to be forgotten because the conduct of most of the law-makers was so shameful and below dignity.
The demand of the PDP gained further momentum when the Yousuf's family, like the PDP, blamed the Chief Minister and others for the death and demanded stringent action against them, including their resignation and CBI probe. What added a new twist to the controversy was not only the claim of the members of the bereaved family that the IGP Crime had told them that "whatever happened had happened at the Chief Minister's residence" and that "they didn't touch Yousuf even once" but also the Times Now's investigation that pointed fingers towards Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah Wani.
Actually, the Times Now's correspondent succeeded yesterday in interviewing a witness (Abdul Salam Reshi) to what had happened and transpired at the official residence of the Chief Minister. It was this interview, which was telecast live by the said investigative news channel repeatedly, that changed the whole scenario and made the position of the Chief Minister, his father and the Minister of State for Home Affairs all the more untenable. One of the revelations made by Reshi was to the effect that the Crime Branch wanted one of the witnesses (both NC activists), from whom Yousuf had collected money reportedly on behalf of the NC and with the assurance that one (who had paid Rs 85 lakhs) would be made Minister of State plus MLC and the other who had paid Rs 34 lakhs would be made MLC write in his statement that he paid the said amount to Yousuf not for becoming a minister or MLA but to obtain government jobs for some persons.
The interview of Reshi was so devastating and revealing that a number of political parties at the national level took the plunge and demanded resignation from Omar Abdullah and other accused. The BJP, which earlier had adopted an ambiguous stand on the issue, followed in the footsteps of the PDP and demanded the ouster of Omar Abdullah and others alleged to be involved in the conspiracy that resulted in the death of Yousuf in highly mysterious circumstances. The BJP said: "An impartial probe into the case is not possible as long as he is in office". The CPI took an identical stand. D Raja of the CPI said: "The Chief Minister's position has become untenable". "How could an impartial probe takes place when he is in office?", he also told Times Now.
As for Congress, it was, and continues to be, ambiguous. In fact, the Congress leadership spoke in different voices. The Congress national spokesperson Rashid Alvi described the incident as "most unfortunate" but didn't explain his party's stand on the issue as well as the opposition's demand for the Chief Minister's resignation. Another Congress spokesperson Abishek Sanghvi also thought it prudent to remain non-committal. His response was as vague as that of Alvi. However, it was the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who came out in support of the Chief Minister and counseled the opposition to accept the Chief Minister's stand on judicial probe. As far as the local Congress leadership is concerned, it is neither here nor there. It doesn't react even if the provocation is grave. It has left everything to the care of the party high command. Even otherwise, its opinion doesn't matter.
What does all this show? It shows that the oust-Omar Abdullah demand is gaining momentum by the day. Will the beleaguered Chief Minister save his chair? The situation as it has developed indicates that he will not, notwithstanding his yesterday's assertion during his interview to the CNN IBN that "he will not resign". |
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