Srinagar : 'Not a single person is homeless': CM Omar Abdullah rejects Kashmiri Pandit housing claims
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has rejected claims that Kashmiri Pandit employees have been left without housing, saying "not a single person is homeless" and ready transit accommodation has been allotted.
His remarks come as PM Package employees protest over secure housing following threat letters and demand faster possession of government quarters amid growing concerns about their safety in Kashmir.
"Not a single person is homeless," he said.
Chief Minister Abdullah also criticised what he described as a growing tendency to turn issues into controversies and stage protests without valid reasons. He maintained that eligible employees had received accommodation where completed quarters were available.
His comments come against the backdrop of protests by Kashmiri Pandit employees working in the Valley under the Prime Minister's employment package. Employees have been demanding faster allotment of secure government quarters after a series of threat letters increased concerns about their safety.
Pandit employees demand secure housing after threat letters
The employees argue that housing is now directly linked to their security. Many PM Package employees are living in rented accommodation and have demanded that completed transit quarters be handed over without further delay.
The latest threat has increased anxiety among the employees and their families. Employees have also set deadlines for the administration to act on their housing demands.
Abdullah, however, rejected the suggestion that employees had simply been left without accommodation. His position puts the government's account at odds with employees who say they are still waiting to move into secure quarters.
Omar Abdullah defends Vande Mataram protocol
Chief Minister Abdullah also addressed a separate political dispute over the rendition of Vande Mataram at official functions, an issue that has drawn objections from the Congress, an alliance partner of the National Conference.
CM Abdullah said there was a clear difference between the position of a political party and the obligations of a government at an official event.
He said events attended by senior constitutional authorities such as the governor, lieutenant governor and acting chief justice must follow the prescribed official protocol. He argued that such requirements cannot be treated as a statement of a party's political ideology.
Abdullah said similar rules apply across India, including in states governed by Congress.
‘Congress can change the law in Parliament’
CM Abdullah said the National Conference as a political party had never formally adopted Vande Mataram, but the government was still required to follow its statutory obligations.
He argued that if Congress disagreed with the existing legal requirements, it had the option of seeking a change through Parliament rather than blaming the Jammu and Kashmir government for following the rules.
The remarks expose a difference between the two alliance partners over how official protocol should be handled, although Abdullah framed the dispute as a question of government procedure rather than party politics.
CM Omar Abdullah backs Tanvir Sadiq amid BJP, PDP criticism
CM Abdullah also defended National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq amid demands that he apologise over remarks about poverty and social conditions in Kashmir in the past.
Chief Minister Abdullah said Sadiq's remarks had been made in a historical context. He referred to historical accounts, including those of Walter Lawrence, to argue that severe poverty in Kashmir's past was well documented.
CM Abdullah said that the point of the remarks was to show the social and economic progress made by Kashmiri families, including their ability to educate children who later became doctors and engineers.
He rejected calls for an apology and accused the BJP and PDP of pushing the same narrative to create political outrage over what he described as a non-issue.
Omar Abdullah speaks on governance and global summits
Turning to the functioning of his government, CM Abdullah said cabinet meetings were being held regularly and administrative work was continuing.
He also briefly referred to upcoming international engagements involving major global powers, including Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa. He pointed to the diplomatic importance of meetings that bring major countries together, without making the issue the focus of his remarks.
