바카라I have been the CM of the (once) most empowered state. I cannot see myself in a position where I would have to ask the LG for appointing my peon. It is as simple as that.바카라 These words, spoken by Omar Abdullah, Vice-President of the National Conference, before the Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections, seemed unequivocal. Abdullah had vowed not to fight for a seat in the legislature of a union territory.
However, one month later, Abdullah contested from two seats, Budgam and Ganderbal, and won both. He is now set to become the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory.
Abdullah defended his U-turn, saying, 바카라We are fighting a new fight, and the assembly has its own role. Should I tell my people to vote for an assembly that I myself don바카라t accept?바카라 Addressing party workers in Ganderbal, Omar added that while the assembly is not as powerful as it once was, it can be made stronger.
However, this is not Abdullah바카라s first U-turn in the past few months. During the election period, he declared that the J&K assembly, in its 바카라first order of business바카라, will pass a resolution against the centre바카라s decision to strip the region of its statehood and special status.바카라 This is also explicitly mentioned in NC바카라s manifesto.
Yet, within hours of his party securing a majority in the assembly, Abdullah made a complete 180-degree turn on Article 370, stating that hoping for restoration from the people who took it away would be 바카라foolish.바카라
He clarified that they would keep this issue alive and hoped that one day, the government would change, the Prime Minister would change, and there would be a government with whom they could discuss it.
While the opposition has criticised Abdullah바카라s 바카라goodbye바카라 to the fight for Article 370, this abrupt U-turn has made locals sceptical about the NC바카라s other promises.
Nazia, a 23-year-old from Srinagar, expressed her frustration, 바카라Did Omar Abdullah not know these promises were impossible to keep when he made them?바카라 She believes Abdullah바카라s U-turn proved once again that NC will never keep its promises.
Nazia says the same logic may now be applied to their other major promises, such as repealing the Public Safety Act (PSA), releasing political prisoners, and providing 200 units of free electricity, as such laws would also require the centre바카라s approval.
바카라Omar Abdullah was surely aware of the challenges and obstacles in restoring Article 370 before the elections,바카라 says Ahmad Ayaz, a political analyst and national TV debater based in Srinagar. 바카라He leveraged the sentiment around it to appeal to emotions and gain votes.바카라
Ayaz warns that any U-turn 바카라will give the opposition and public a chance to hold it against the National Conference, potentially damaging Abdullah바카라s credibility among voters who gave NC a massive mandate.바카라 However, Ayaz adds, 바카라It also depends on how successfully NC can deliver on other promises listed in its manifesto.바카라
It should be acknowledged that the latest U-turn is not new for the National Conference, which has a long history of backtracking on its commitments. A fight for the restoration of Article 370 is just an addition to the list of unfulfilled poll promises that have languished for decades.
After the 2010 violence in the Valley, which resulted in a four-month shutdown, Omar Abdullah, then the chief minister, began advocating for the amendment/withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which grants extensive powers to the armed forces.
During the crisis, Omar faced intense criticism for the brutal crackdown of protestors, which killed around 120 people. Fast forward fourteen years, and the AFSPA remains in place, with its repeal again being touted as one of the party바카라s significant promises.
In June 2000, his father and the then-Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah바카라s government passed the autonomy resolution to restore Jammu and Kashmir바카라s pre-1953 constitutional position. However, the central government rejected it. Flying in the face of their rhetoric on autonomy, the National Conference remained an ally of the BJP-led NDA government, with Omar Abdullah serving as Minister of State. Two decades later, autonomy resolution has re-emerged as a key promise in NC바카라s manifesto.
The party바카라s history of backtracking dates back to its founder, Sheikh Abdullah, who endorsed the Plebiscite Front, a 22-year people바카라s movement for a referendum marked by violence and arrests. However, it was disbanded in 1975 when Sheikh signed an accord with the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The agreement enabled his return to power but was widely criticised as a 바카라historic betrayal.바카라
Like others in the Valley, Omar ran his whole election campaign on the 바카라anti-BJP바카라 narrative. He now says PM Modi is an 바카라honourable man바카라 and J&K will not benefit from an 바카라antagonistic relationship바카라 with the BJP-led central government.
