In Kashmir show of strength, BJP attacks Omar govt over ‘doublespeak’, raises 2010 killings

SRINAGAR: At an induction rally in Srinagar on Saturday, BJP put leader of opposition in the J&K assembly, Sunil Sharma, on the forefront to launch a political attack on Omar Abdullah govt.

Sharma, who represents the Paddar constituency in Kishtwar district, alternated between Urdu and Kashmiri as he addressed hundreds of party workers, accusing governing National Conference (NC) of practising “doublespeak” on Kashmir, and failing to fulfil promises on jobs and welfare schemes.

The J&K chief of BJP and Rajya Sabha member Sat Sharma welcomed new entrants into the party fold from PDP, NC and Congress, calling such steady influx of leaders and workers from every section in Kashmir as indication of the party’s widening base.

“He (CM Omar Abdullah) says one thing in Delhi and another in Kashmir,” Sunil Sharma told the gathering, adding that NC leaders portray Kashmiris in a negative light before the central govt, while publicly expressing sympathy for their suffering in the Valley. “Why don’t people see this doublespeak?” he wondered.

However, it was his attempt to draw a parallel between two defining moments in Kashmir’s history that drew particular attention and raised the hackles of NC, which accused BJP of “manufacturing narratives”.

Sharma referred to the 2010 unrest, when more than 100 civilians, many of them teenagers, were killed during months of protests and clashes with police and security forces. Among the first to be killed were 13-year-old Wamiq Farooq and 17-year-old Tufail Mattoo, whose deaths became rallying points for widespread demonstrations. Sharma said Omar had justified the killings of Wamiq and Tufail, claiming they were part of a “rebellion” against the then govt led by him.

The LoP then invoked July 13, 1931, when 22 people were shot dead by the forces of Maharaja Hari Singh outside Srinagar jail during protests against Dogra rule. The date is widely commemorated in Kashmir as ‘Martyrs’ Day’.

Those killed in 1931 were remembered as ‘martyrs’ by NC, while Wamiq, Tufail and others killed in 2010 were charged with rebellion, Sharma said, adding “we need to reflect on this”.

He accused NC of exploiting “Kashmiri sentiments” after failing to deliver on economic commitments, including promises of jobs and 200 units free electricity, and alleged that govt had outsourced 24000 jobs to an unknown company. “BJP will come on roads against such clandestine recruitments,” he said.

NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar dismissed the allegations. “It is BJP that has failed to deliver on its promise of restoring statehood,” he said. Referring to July 13, 1931, Dar said the day symbolised Kashmiri resistance against monarchy and the assertion of Kashmir’s identity. “BJP is trying to build a fake narrative around it. They are trying the same with the events of 2010 to arouse sentiments in Kashmir in their favour,” he said.

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