JAMMU — Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday lashed out at the BJP, accusing it of targeting relatives of political adversaries and questioning what he termed the party’s inability to “compete directly.”
“Is your (BJP’s) system so weak that you cannot compete with us directly, and instead go after family members?” Abdullah said while addressing a public rally in the Nowshera border area of Rajouri district.
Abdullah, for whom Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary accorded a floral reception amid sloganeering in his favour at his Nowshera constituency, alleged that the BJP’s repeated accusations against opposition leaders had failed to stand scrutiny.
“They (BJP) resort to such methods to harass us. They keep bringing allegations repeatedly, but none of these accusations holds — nothing comes out of them,” he said.
The chief minister claimed that when nothing was found during raids, agencies shifted focus to harassing family members.
“They harass us. And if anyone has been targeted the most, it is my colleague Surender Choudhary sahib. Time and again, you see — whenever he speaks in the assembly, he speaks for Jammu and Kashmir, never for himself. He speaks about rights, about statehood, about brotherhood, about Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and about our shared history”.
Highlighting Choudhary’s role, Abdullah said, “Whenever he speaks in the assembly, he speaks for everyone, for all communities, and about shared history. He does not speak to divide people. But this does not suit the BJP.”
Questioning the alleged targeting of Choudhary’s family, he said, “If Surinder Choudhary has entered politics and defeated the BJP’s candidate, how is that his brother’s fault? What is his brother’s crime? He is simply doing his job; he has been recruited and is working.”
He further alleged that Choudhary’s brother was denied promotions and transferred without justification.
“When promotions in a batch take place, who gets left out? Surinder Choudhary’s brother — simply because of who he is related to. He was sent to Ladakh despite no requirement there. Even when the Ladakh administration sent him back, he was forcibly sent again,” Abdullah claimed.
“You can target capable people — target me, target Surinder, target Sakina, target Nazir — but why do you go after relatives and friends?” he asked.
Abdullah expressed confidence that Choudhary would emerge victorious in future electoral contests.
“Whoever you bring here, Surinder Choudhary will defeat them and send them back,” he said.
Outlining his government’s priorities, Abdullah said, “The Almighty must have seated us here for a purpose… to give some relief to our people and make their lives easier. This is why we are here — to improve schools, hospitals, roads, reduce unemployment and poverty”.
Reiterating welfare commitments, he said, “Those daily wagers who have been used but never made permanent — we promise that we will regularise them. Similarly, for Aanganwadi and ASHA workers, we will increase their honorarium and stipend.”
Highlighting budget measures, Abdullah mentioned, “We promised free gas cylinders to the poorest of people… now six free cylinders per year will start reaching their homes,” along with relief in electricity and free bus travel for women in a phased manner. — (PTI)