WILL OMAR’S ‘DIL KI BAAT’ CREATE ‘DOORI’ WITH BLOC PARTNERS

Even as the PM Narendra Modi had inaugurated the ZMorh tunnel which was rightfully described as an engineering marvel and which will be empowering the military and tourism sectors largely in the sector and the country in general, political analysts got enough fodder to foresee another political script unfold. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s heaping praise on PM Modi during the inauguration of the Z Morh tunnel for making major efforts in bringing Delhi and Kashmir closer (Dilli ki doori and Dil ki doori) was not only closely watched but was also noticed with political keenness and an overload of connotation.

Omar’s praise of Modi on Monday came days after he (Omar Abdullah), leader of the National Conference, which is an INDIA bloc member, called for the bloc disbandment, citing a lack of unity among the Opposition conglomerate. While the J&K CM reiterated his demand for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood in PM Modi’s presence, he also expressed hope that the Centre would honour its commitment and in the right earnest.

It may be noted that Omar Abdullah’s heaps of praise for PM Modi came at a time when he has been attacking the Grand Old Party… that is the Congress making political analysts baffle about the broth brewing in the bloc especially in the current political context. It was only in December 2024 that Omar Abdullah had asked the Congress to justify its leadership role in the bloc and certainly not take its position for granted as the elder party.

It may be noted that Omar, the National Conference leader, has also broken ranks with CMs of non-BJP states who have been alleging that the Centre was working to undermine the federal structure of governance in the country. Here it must be mentioned that political veterans like Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav have taken this line of attack against the BJP-led central government for quite some time now.

During his address at the inauguration of the Z-Morh tunnel by PM Modi, Omar acknowledged his efforts and spoke in volumes for the initiative, stating that such mega projects like the integration of Jammu rail link and now the tunnel have immensely helped in reducing the physical and emotional distance between Delhi and Kashmir. He said that people participated in the elections enthusiastically, and there were no complaints of any rigging or misuse of power anywhere.

“Prime Minister, you had also promised the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. People keep asking me about this, and I keep reminding them that PM Modi fulfilled his promise of holding elections. I believe soon this promise will also be fulfilled, and Jammu and Kashmir will once again be a state in this country,” Omar added. Omar also went on to say that due to the efforts of PM Modi, the peace process along the borders has greatly benefited remote areas. Whether it’s Machil, Gurez, Karnah, or Keran, people are benefiting in terms of development and tourism, with more tourists arriving, he kept on adding.

A day after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling his promise of conducting the assembly election and letting the people of the union territory choose their representatives, the BJP on Tuesday asked the rest of the INDIA bloc to learn a lesson from its partner. Openly claiming that Omar Abdullah has shown a mirror to the “lobby” who questions the Election Commission of India and the electoral processes, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a jibe at the bloc and said the Opposition, especially the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and Samajwadi Party, should “learn from this.” “Whenever you win elections, you praise the electoral process but when you lose, you question the Election Commission... Omar Abdullah has shown them a mirror, they should learn a lesson from this,” Shehzad Poonawalla told news agency ANI. Omar had also thanked Modi for being a part of the tunnel inauguration in J&K during the biting cold. “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 keep coming here again and again,” Omar Abdullah said.

Responding to Omar’s remarks, PM Modi said, “Yeh Modi hai, Waada karta hai toh nibhaata hai. Har kaam ka ek samay hai, aur sahi samay par sahi kaam hone wale hain. (Modi always keeps his promises. There’s a time for everything, and right things will happen at the right time)”.

And when all this is happening it is obvious that former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, former minister and Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone and former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu can’t be far away from the action ground. And understandably, they have hit out at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his lavish praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the public meeting held after inauguration of Z-Morh tunnel at Sonamarg in central Kashmir on Monday.

In response to the criticism, National Conference spokesman Imran Nabi Dar defended his leader and CM Omar. He dismissed the accusations by laying stress that it was Omar’s right and duty to urge the Prime Minister for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Dar pointed out that Omar’s language was dignified, serious, and official, contrasting it with the language used by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Dar also dismissed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as irrelevant, claiming that they were simply unnerved by Omar’s bold stance on statehood restoration.

Omar’s praise of PM Modi and the subsequent backlash by the local politicians clearly depict the ongoing political tensions in Jammu and Kashmir, especially regarding the region’s special status and its relationship with the Centre.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Robin Roy, The writer is Senior Journalist and former Managing Editor, First India