STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday asked PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti to make it clear as to what Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) she is seeking from the Centre to form the government.
“She should tell the people what CBMs she wants (from the Centre). What is she up to and what she wants from Government of India. Let us all know”, he said in reply to questions by reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He came out in support of embattled Kingfisher boss Vijay Mallya, saying there was no need to arrest the business tycoon as he was a “gentleman” and would return to India on his own.
“Vijay Mallya will come home. I don’t think government needs to arrest him. He will come and answer. He is a gentleman”, Abdullah said.
He said Mallya ran a good budget airline which ran into trouble.
“Look, he has run a very good airline. It was a budget airline, whatever trouble he has today is because of Kingfisher Airlines”, the National Conference leader said.
“I think Government of India has its own way of dealing with it. What should be necessary, government will do it” Abdullah said.
On the change of the venue of the India-Pakistan match in the T20 world cup, Abdullah said “whatever the security they (Pakistan cricket team) demands, we should give them. It is essential as we want to play the game”.
“Cricket is cricket, sports has to go on. If there was no terrorism, they would play anywhere, even in Jammu”, he said.
He said for better relationship between India and Pakistan, terrorism has to end.
On the controversy over the Art of Living cultural festival organised in Delhi, Abdullah said spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar should not be asked to pay fine as he was holding the festival to promote India.
“Sri Sri is holding the festival and I think he has got the permission to hold the festival. I don’t know why the Prime Minister is not going. They say that there was some environment issue. But he should not be asked to pay the money as he is holding the festival to promote India”, he said.
On Ishrat Jahan encounter killing, he said the case was already being investigated and the facts must come out.
“Look that is already being investigated by government.
If the file is missing, (from the Home Ministry) it has to be traced and they must re-investigate it. Where and who went wrong so that all of us know. Was she really a terrorist or she was not a terrorist”, he said.
Farooq consolidating grip in Jammu
JAMMU: While both BJP and PDP are busy playing hide and seek and shying away from government formation in the absence of Confidence Building Measures it is laborious Dr Farooq Abdullah who is gradually consolidating his grip and hard selling his brand of politics to fill the vacuum in the state.
While doing so former Union Minister has even outsmarted his own son and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other senior leaders of the party who either make appearances on special events or remain active in their lost constituencies.
With Omar Abdullah holding fort in Kashmir valley along with battery of close aides, Dr Abdullah has been making inroads and galvanizing party machinery across Jammu region. In the last two months especially after the imposition of Governor’s rule in the State following sudden demise of Mufti Mohd Sayeed, Dr Farooq Abdullah has been making waves across different platforms and sharing his viewpoints without any hesitation.
Omar Abdullah may have been actively involved in the affairs of the party but his decision to stay away from the Jammu region has not gone down well with the party cadre. Compared to Jammu, Omar finds himself comfortable in the cozy environs of Kashmir valley and seldom visit Jammu and other areas.
On the other hand, Dr Farooq Abdullah has been attending variety of prorgammes and mixing with the masses. Despite his age he comes across as an energetic politician ever willing to lend ear to the common problems faced by the people.
Though he is not in a position to offer readymade solutions but he is exposing the BJP and PDP in the eyes of the electorate by constantly reminding them about their inability to form the government despite having numbers on their side.
On Thursday, Dr Abdullah visited the martyr’s family in Udhampur and appealed to the Railway Minister to rename Udhampur railway station in the name of Captain Tushar Mahajan, braveheart who sacrificed his life while flushing out militants from inside JKEDI complex in Pampore area of Pulwama district.
On Friday, Dr Abdullah welcomed Saraf Singh Nag, a former KAS officer, into National Conference at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan.
Launching a scathing attack on BJP and PDP Dr Farooq Abdullah said that a secular party, having acceptance in all the three regions of the state, alone can ensure political stability in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the ongoing political uncertainty, in the wake of fractured mandate, Dr Farooq Abdullah said National Conference alone can give a stable and people-friendly government in Jammu and Kashmir, keeping in view its presence in all the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
