Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Sep 01
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Sunil Sharma on Tuesday challenged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to resign and seek a fresh mandate if statehood was the main issue before his government.
Sharma accused the National Conference (NC) government of using the demand for restoration of statehood to divert attention from unemployment and alleged irregularities in government recruitment.
He was responding to the NC’s decision to hold peaceful protests outside BJP headquarters in Srinagar and Jammu on Wednesday, coinciding with a BJP protest planned against the government.
Sharma said restoration of statehood was not among the main issues on which the NC sought votes in the Assembly elections.
“The government came to power on promises of free electricity, jobs, and ration, and not on the promise of restoration of statehood,” he said.
“If Omar Abdullah has the courage, he should resign and seek a fresh mandate from the people on the issue of statehood,” Sharma said.
He also alleged that about 25,000 government posts were being “given and distributed” among NC workers, without providing further details, and called for the government to address concerns over employment and recruitment.
Sharma said the BJP protest would proceed as planned and focus on what he described as the government’s failure to provide sufficient employment opportunities to young people in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Our protest will go on as per schedule,” he said, calling the NC’s simultaneous protest “unfortunate” and an attempt to divert attention from employment-related issues.
The NC has said its protest would instead seek accountability from the central government over commitments made in parliament and before the Supreme Court, including restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees.
