Three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to bridge both “Dilli ki doori” and “dil ki doori”, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah heaped praise on him for making strides in bringing Delhi and Kashmir closer, not just in miles, but in minds. The unexpected yet unsurprising praise on Monday came just days after Abdullah, leader of the National Conference, which is an INDIA bloc member, called for the grouping to be disbanded.
While Abdullah reiterated the demand for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood in PM Modi’s presence, he expressed hope that the Centre would honour its commitment.
Omar Abdullah’s praise for Modi also comes at a time he has been sharpening his tone against the Congress, making some wonder if there was a twist to the prevailing political equations. Last month, Abdullah asked the Congress to justify its leadership role in the alliance instead of taking it for granted.
The National Conference leader has also broken ranks with chief ministers of non-BJP states who have been alleging that the Centre was working to undermine the federal structure of governance. Leaders like Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav have taken this line of attack against the BJP-led central government.
During his address at the inauguration of the newly constructed Z-Morh tunnel in Sonamarg by Prime Minister Modi, Omar Abdullah, acknowledging his efforts, praised the initiative, stating that such projects helped reduce the physical and emotional distance between Delhi and Kashmir.
“You (PM Modi) said three very important things during your programme in Srinagar on International Yoga Day. You said that you are working on eliminating Dil ki Doori (difference of hearts) and Delhi ki Doori (distance from Delhi) and this is really proved by your work…,” Omar Abdullah said, as PM Modi and Manoj Sinha, the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir, shared the dais.
This praise is particularly striking amid growing tensions within the INDIA bloc, where members are increasingly marching to their own tunes.
Omar Abdullah, whose National Conference-Congress alliance won the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election this October, also praised PM Modi’s approach to the northern state-turned-Union Territory, citing the free and fair election that was conducted there.
“You had told the people of Jammu and Kashmir that very soon elections will be held and people will get a chance to choose their government through their votes. You kept your word and within four months, elections were held…,” Abdullah said on Monday.
“Elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir and the biggest thing was that there was no complaint of any irregularities anywhere, no complaint of misuse of power. The credit for this goes to you (PM Modi), your colleagues and the Election Commission of India. My heart says that very soon you (PM Modi) will fulfil your promise of restoring statehood. Today, on this occasion, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming here in this cold… You have a very old relationship with Jammu and Kashmir. We hope that you come here again and again, stay among us and join our happiness,” Abdullah added as he did not hold back his gratitude.
OMAR ABDULLAH LUGGING DEAD WEIGHT OF ALLY CONGRESS?
Abdullah’s praise of Modi after his recent comments on the INDIA bloc’s very existence have not just highlighted the cracks within the opposition coalition, but also has hinted towards his growing unease towards the Congress.
Last week, Abdullah expressed dismay over the lack of clarity and coordination among the alliance members, particularly after the Lok Sabha elections. While both AAP and the Congress (part of the INDIA bloc), are contesting the Delhi polls separately, leading to bitter exchanges between the two, Abdullah suggested the alliance be dissolved.
“A meeting of the alliance should be held after the Delhi elections, and clarity should be provided. If it was only for the Lok Sabha elections, then end the alliance. But, if it is to continue for the Assembly elections as well, then we must work together,” Abdullah said last week.
Omar Abdullah, after the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election, slammed the Congress saying, “The alliance with the Congress wasn’t about seats for us. We would have won the seats without the Congress, except probably one of them,” the NC leader said immediately after the Assembly poll results.
While the NC won 42 of the 51 seats it contested, the Congress won just 6 of the 32 seats.
Abdullah also asked the Congress to justify its leadership role in the alliance instead of taking it for granted, in his first interview after assembly polls.
Political analyst and author Rasheed Kidwai told India Today TV in December that the opposition alliance was dead for all practical purposes.
The fissures within the INDIA bloc, exacerbated in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, were long in the making, with warning signs evident in Congress’s defeats in the Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections.
Moreover, three INDIA bloc constituents — Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) — have thrown their weight behind the AAP for the Delhi Assembly polls. This even as the Congress, the bloc’s biggest constituent, is fighting the AAP tooth and nail. Last week, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that the INDIA grouping was meant solely for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Therefore, the timing of Omar Abdullah heaping praise on PM Modi is noteworthy. (India Today)
