Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for delivering on his promise to conduct “free and fair” elections in the Union Territory and also urged PM Modi to fulfill another promise of restoring statehood to J&K.
“The Prime Minister fulfilled his word and conducted elections in J&K within four months of him saying so…people of J&K were given an opportunity to cast their vote amidst high turnout and without any rigging or repoll being conducted in any booth. I thank the Prime Minister and the Election Commission of India for this…and a result of this is that I am standing before you as the CM,” News 18 quoted him as saying.
Abdullah, however, urged PM Modi to fulfill another promise of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Kashmiris are increasingly placing their trust in the Prime Minister.
His statement comes as Congress, an ally of the National Conference (NC), along with other INDIA bloc parties, have been crying foul over the election results in Haryana and Maharashtra, questioning the integrity of the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
When announcing the poll dates for Delhi, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had to address allegations of EVM tampering in detail. The commission highlighted recent election results in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, where opposition parties achieved significant victories.
Political observers said that discussions about the growing alliance between the BJP and NC regarding Jammu and Kashmir suggest that if the Centre fulfills its promise of restoring statehood soon, Abdullah could strengthen his position by taking credit for the development.
PM Modi’s response to Abdullah’s statement has further fueled speculation about their emerging camaraderie.
“I live up to my promises. I will fulfil every promise, everything has time and it’ll be fulfilled,” News 18 quoted PM Modi as saying.
According to the News 18 report, the Sonamarg tunnel function was also a classic example of federalism as the two praised each other for working for the benefit of J&K and fast-tracking projects like this tunnel.
During the inauguration of the Z-Morh tunnel, the crowd displayed national flags as PM Modi and Abdullah shared the stage with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Earlier, Abdullah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh arrived at the venue together via helicopter.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Abdullah had shown the mirror to those raising allegations against the EC.
“Earlier too, the CM had said EVMs cannot be blamed for election losses. He also praised the PM for peaceful and free and fair elections in J&K and the people trusted these elections. Democracy was the winner in these elections. But Congress has been raising questions over the EVMs after the losses in Maharashtra and Haryana,” News 18 quoted Poonawalla as saying.
With inputs from agencies
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J&K to get statehood soon? CM Omar reminds PM Modi of his promise, he says ‘it’ll be fulfilled’
