Srinagar, Oct 29: Former chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah Thursday wondered whether the Centre wanted political parties to leave mainstream politics altogether.
“What do you want from us? Do you want us to leave mainstream politics here?” Abdullah asked while reacting to the government’s action of stopping Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) workers from carrying out a protest against the recent changes in land laws in the state.
The former chief minister said the fight of political workers in Kashmir was now for identity. “These special laws and status were given to Jammu & Kashmir at the time of Maharaja Hari Singh,” Omar said, while pointed out that leaders in Nagaland have refused similar laws.
“We have been forced to unite and fight for the rights. We are not counting seats anymore. This fight is not about power or chief ministership. It is fight for our identity. It would be shameful if we go after power. People will never forgive us if we do something like that. I wish this coming together of parties happened earlier. There are so many states where people from other parts of the country cannot buy land. If we are talking against this law, we are being called ‘anti-nationals’,” Omar said.
About the repealing of land law, Omar said that “nobody can buy land in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and many other States of the country, but here in Jammu and Kashmir, the rich section has been given open land to throw people of J&K out. Amid this situation, they are expecting silence from us, which is not possible. We will fight and are not ready to lose it. I don’t know how long this fight will continue, but will fight it tooth and nail.”
“We are being tagged as anti-national for fighting for our rights. I must recall the role played by Maqbool Sherwani, who under this (NC) flag played a pivotal role in 1947,” he said.
Fight not for power: Omar
