SRINAGAR, Nov 22: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that the resolution passed by the Assembly earlier this month has not been rejected by anyone and has opened a door.
Speaking to reporters here, the Chief Minister in response to a question about the resolution on the special status passed by the Assembly said the most important thing is that the resolution was not rejected anywhere.
“The resolution was passed. No one rejected the resolution. This is the big thing. The door is open. We will go ahead and see,” he said.
On the remarks of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on the resolution, Omar said the Congress party is not a part of the Government.
“Congress has helped us from outside and it is not part of the Government. Now this Government has brought this resolution, it was passed by all members except BJP. The Congress was also included in it”, he said.
“Now, it is obvious that the BJP targeted the Congress in the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections. This is first an answer to those who had said there was nothing in the resolution. If there was nothing in the resolution, then why have the PM and the HM raised the resolution regularly? It is obvious that there is something in it,” he said.
The Chief Minister said it is a compulsion for the Congress to try to dilute the resolution. “Now Congress was forced to try to dilute it a little. But nothing is diluted by what they say. The Assembly of J&K has passed it overwhelmingly. And that is there,” he said.
Omar said a Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to engage with all stakeholders on the issue of reservation in Government jobs. “It will take a holistic view so that justice is done with all and the rights of none are snatched”.
He said that the sub-committee will include three Ministers and once it submits its report, a decision would be taken on the issue.
“A lot is being said about reservation. Our youth, especially those belonging to the open category, think they are not getting their rights, but there are also those who have been brought into the reservation ambit who do not want any reduction in their rights.
“So, the Cabinet has decided to form a sub-committee, which will include three Ministers, and the Cabinet has asked them to take a holistic view of the issue,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that the power situation this winter will be better as the Power Minister has promised him additional quota.
“The Cabinet has already done the work of winter preparation. I met the Power Minister in Delhi for the lack of electricity during winters in J&K. He has sanctioned some additional quota for J&K. But we have to be ready for this,” he said.
“There will be cuts in winter. But I have told the department that where there is less theft of electricity, where we get electricity fees as expected, there should be less cuts. There should be less load shedding. And it is expected that this year, people will see a little improvement in winter,” he said.
On the release of prisoners as was promised in the ruling National Conference’s election manifesto, Omar said Statehood is needed to release the prisoners “because as of now, the security, policing and law and order are under the Central Government and are looked after by the LG”.
However, the Chief Minister said whenever he has talked to the police administration, he has asked them to reconsider the issues of the prisoners, especially the issue of verification “for which people are harassed”.
“I have said in my Assembly speech that the verification process has been weaponised. It has now been stopped to a large extent and there will be more flexibility in it in the future.
“But, as far as the release of the prisoners is concerned, we are working on the restoration of Statehood right from the first day because we know there are some things on which the people want some progress, which cannot be done in a UT,” he said.
Omar said the Army should court-martial and punish the soldiers responsible for torturing the people in Kishtwar.
“I hope that the Army does not show any softness in this. This should be investigated transparently. And those who are responsible for this, if they get evidence against them, they should be immediately court-martialled and punished.
“It is a very unfortunate thing. And it is a pity that our people have not learned anything. This is not the first incident where the locals were beaten up by calling them to a police camp. It is the grace of Allah that all of them did not lose their precious lives. Otherwise, we have seen incidents where people were called to a police camp, tortured and lost their precious lives,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Omar chaired a cabinet meeting of his Government in jammu.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, other Ministers and Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo participated in the meeting.
This was the second meeting of this Government during its tenure of over one month.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Minister for Jal Shakti and Forests, Javed Ahmed Rana, said that critical issues, including employment, reservation, recruitment processes and development, were deliberated upon.
“Today we held a Cabinet meeting under the leadership of the Chief Minister. We discussed the address by the Lieutenant Governor in the assembly and it has been approved. Rest assured, all the decisions taken in the meeting will be shared with you in due course,” Rana said.
He said that the Lieutenant Governor’s speech during the Assembly session was thoroughly discussed and approved.
Replying to a question about the demand for the Darbar Move, the Minister said “every important aspect mentioned in his address has been included in it”.
Responding to another question about unemployment, which emerged as a major focus during the discussions, Rana said, “The CM has instructed all ministers to prioritize addressing unemployment within their respective departments. They should start their exercise. As part of our 100-day agenda, we are committed to presenting concrete measures within the next two months.”
He emphasized that tackling unemployment was a significant promise in the election manifesto and the government is committed to fulfilling it.
On filling vacant posts across various departments, Rana said that “deliberations were held on whether the posts should be referred to the PSC (Public Service Commission) or SSRB”.
“We will ensure that advertisements for these posts are issued within a fixed time frame,” he added.
Rana further emphasized “our election manifesto is no longer just a promise – it is now an official Government document”.
“Whether it is the provision of gas cylinders or other welfare measures, the CM has directed ministers to take swift departmental actions to ensure implementation in letter and spirit,” he said.
On the issue of age relaxation for job aspirants and daily wagers, Rana acknowledged its urgency and said it was also discussed.
“The Cabinet has directed the Government to address this matter promptly,” he said.
Regarding the issue of daily wagers, Rana said, “The issue of daily wagers is a big one. There is a large number of daily wagers. The CM has already issued instructions to the Ministers to start the process on this direction at their end.”
Rana reiterated the Government’s commitment to delivering on its promises, ensuring transparency and addressing the pressing issues faced by people of the region.
