KISHTWAR, NOVEMBER 29: The rift within opposition ranks came to the fore after NC vice president Omar Abdullah on Monday rued senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s statement that it is futile to talk about Article 370 as it won’t be restored.
“We were expecting support from other political parties (on restoration of J&K’s pre-August 5 position and special status) but they are silent. Unfortunate to see Azad saying it’s useless to talk about Article 370. If the special status of J&K was so hollow, why was it snatched,” the former chief minister said at a public speech in the Chenab Valley’s Kishtwar district.
Omar reminded him that the Congress party had incorporated it in the Constitution. Lamenting that the Sonia Gandhi-led party had conceded “defeat” at the outset, he stressed that the future of the people of Jammu and Kashmir was dependent on the restoration of the region’s special status.
“The future of our children, their education, their jobs, our lands (is linked to this). When it comes to land to the tiller, we gave the land ownership right to the people without taking one paisa from them. That wouldn’t have been possible if Article 370 was not there. But these people are not ready to fight this battle. There is no problem, don’t fight. We will fight alone,” he added.
