Omar praises Centre for allocating funds to Jammu & Kashmir, complains about statehood | India News
SRINAGAR: J&K Omar Abdullah Saturday praised the Centre for being generous in allocating funds to J&K, but said the same magnanimity had not been shown in the matter of restoring statehood.Omar said he had no hesitation in acknowledging and thanking the Centre’s efforts where it had delivered. “I am not among those who practise politics by deceiving people. Whenever the Centre extends support, I acknowledge it; and wherever there are shortcomings, I also speak about it,” he added.The CM was responding to media persons’ queries about the opposition’s accusations that he praised BJP in Delhi, but criticises it in Kashmir. At a meeting in New Delhi recently, Omar had said the Centre had been generous to J&K, even though, if it wanted, it could have brought his govt to its knees. Opposition parties in Kashmir widely criticised him for the statement, referring to him as “good boy” and alleging that he spoke in different voices in Delhi and Srinagar.Rejecting the criticism, Omar said he did not make statements to please anyone. “I do not say one thing in Delhi and another in Kashmir. I say this (praising Union govt over funds allocation) everywhere — in public meetings, in official interactions and even on the floor of the Assembly,” he said.Omar said the Centre had left no scope for complaint on issues other than statehood restoration, a commitment it has not fulfilled.Criticising the new rural employment guarantee Bill that has been brought to replace MGNREGA, Omar said the Centre had shifted the financial and administrative burden of the programme on the states.The CM was in Srinagar to review the winter preparedness of the administration.
‘Who named G-RAM G Bill?’
Omar Abdullah poked fun at the renaming of MGNREGA as ‘Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G, Omar Abdullah said the acronym sounded like a Bollywood movie’s name.“First of all, I am surprised where this name came from,” he said. “I am sorry, but a Bill should have been named after giving it some thought. It reminds me of an old Bollywood movie, ‘Ji Mummy Ji’. I don’t know if you have seen it or not, my nephew has,” he added. “Who named the bill as G RAM G?” he asked. He also criticised the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme.
