Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Oct 22
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the ruling National Conference (NC) of delaying panchayat and municipal elections because it feared defeat.
Sunil Sharma, the BJP’s leader of the opposition, said the elections would test the popularity of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government and give voters an opportunity to assess its performance.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a BJP programme, Sharma accused the NC leadership of resisting the emergence of alternative political representation.
“The Abdullah family’s ego, arrogance and unwillingness to conduct Panchayati Raj elections are responsible for the delay,” Sharma said, predicting a heavy defeat for the party if elections were held.
He also accused the government of failing to fulfil promises relating to electricity, cooking gas cylinders, employment and ration supplies.
Sharma claimed that militancy had declined significantly over the past five years and that no local youth had joined militant organisations in the previous two years.
The allegations were made by the opposition leader.
The report did not include a response from the NC government.
