National Conference Working President Omar Abdullah on Thursday termed the PDP-BJP Government’s move to seek the postponement of by-elections for the Anantnag Assembly segment as a loud and clear admission of failure by Mehbooba Mufti and said she was evidently terrified of facing the people.“In seeking the postponement of the election for the Anantnag Assembly Constituency, Mehbooba Mufti has shown that she has panicked and is hiding behind the Election Commission. This desperate and evasive move shows how badly the Chief Minister is governing the State and is a formal admission of defeat by the PDP-BJP alliance. Fearing rejection by the people, the Chief Minister has evaded the very first formal referendum on the PDP-BJP Alliance and that’s a very significant development”, Omar Abdullah said in a statement issued here.
He said Mehbooba Mufti was trying to escape the consequences of PDP’s sell-outs and political surrenders under the fig-leaf of an allegedly ‘non-conducive’ situation.“When the Chief Minister of a State is petrified of failing to seek an electoral validation to continue in her chair, the very credibility, mandate and writ of the Government become questionable. Knowing well that her party is facing a complete rout at the grassroots level, Mehbooba Mufti has chosen to run away from her very first test and that’s tragic”, the National Conference Working President added.“The people of J&K have rejected this alliance of convenience and have also seen how much of a failure it amounted to in its previous year in power. Mehbooba Mufti’s spectacular U-turn on seeking Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) from the Government of India has catalyzed PDP’s political obliteration. If she is so scared of facing the people, with what credibility and confidence will she rule the State?” the statement further added. (KNS)