Omar Abdullah's 'Don't Expect Delhi' Jab At BJP Refers To AAP vs Lt Governor

Hours after videos of him scaling a wall and grappling with cops at Srinagar's Martyrs' Graveyard went viral, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told NDTV that the BJP is wrong if they think that projecting his government as powerless will help them politically in the Valley. The National Conference leader drew a comparison with Delhi and stressed that the BJP must not expect a similar result in Kashmir.

Speaking about shocking visuals of cops trying to stop the Chief Minister and his colleagues from visiting the memorial for protesters killed by Maharaja Hari Singh's Dogra forces on July 13, 1931, Mr Abdullah said, "It's not about what happened to me or my ministerial colleagues. It's about the wider message you are sending to people of Jammu and Kashmir, about what democracy means. It's almost as if you are telling the people of Jammu and Kashmir that their voice, choices, sentiments, and feelings don't matter," he said.

Warning the Centre about the impact such actions can have on the people, he said, "So tomorrow, if you have an election and 20 per cent come out (to vote) instead of 60 per cent, please remember this day and remember who to blame. Because if you are going to continue to mess with democratically elected institutions, if you are going to go out of your way to try and project them as being powerless, don't expect a result like Delhi."

The Delhi reference was unmissable. Mr Abdullah was referring to the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government that was voted out in the election earlier this year. During his term as Chief Minister, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal often complained that the Centre had curtailed his government's powers and that the Lieutenant Governor's office derailed the state government's work. Like in Delhi, the Jammu and Kashmir government now has limited authority, and key subjects such as law and order are under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's control.

"I think somebody in BJP seems to feel that if they are able to project us as powerless, tomorrow the people of Kashmir will select BJP. They won't, they will just not select anybody, and if that's what the government of India wants after a successful election, they want the next election to be completely unsuccessful, then continue to behave like this, but don't blame us then for what happens," Mr Abdullah said.

Mr Abdullah took over as Chief Minister in October last year after the National Conference-Congress alliance scored a thumping win in the first election after Jammu and Kashmir's special status was revoked and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories.

The months after the swearing-in saw a bonhomie developing between the Omar Abdullah government and the Centre and Lieutenant Governor Sinha. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Mr Abdullah backed the Centre in its response. His emotionally-charged speech in the Assembly, during which he said his politics is not so "cheap" that he would use the tragedy as an opportunity to press for his statehood demand, won praise even from his critics.

Asked if the developments during the Martyrs' Day row would affect this bonhomie, Mr Abdullah said, "Don't ask me, ask the people who did this." He said that if Kashmir leaders were allowed to pay tributes at the Martyrs' Day yesterday, it would have been a "non-event", but the curbs imposed by the local administration made headlines. "Please ask the idiots who did this."

Chaotic scenes played out near the Martyrs' Graveyard in Srinagar this morning as Mr Abdullah and his supporters reached the memorial to pay tributes and police personnel tried to stop them. Sharing a video on X, Mr Abdullah said, "This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff and was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal. In fact, these 'protectors of the law' need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha."

The Chief Minister and top Jammu and Kashmir leaders were barred from visiting the Martyrs' Graveyard, or Mazar-e-Shuhada, yesterday.

"We were not allowed to read the Fatiha here yesterday. People were kept confined to their homes. When the gates were opened and I informed the control room that I wanted to come here, a bunker was set up in front of my gate and it was not removed till late at night. Today I did not tell them at all. Without telling them, I sat into the car (and drove here)," he told the media after offering his tribute at the memorial.

"Look at their shamelessness. Even today, they tried to stop us. We parked the car at Nowhatta Chowk. They put a bunker in front of us and tried to manhandle us. These policemen in uniform sometimes forget the law. I want to ask them, under which law did they try to stop us today? The restrictions were for yesterday. They say this is a free country, but sometimes they think we are their slaves. We are not anyone's slaves. If we are slaves, we are the people's slaves," the National Conference leader said, targeting the security forces in the Valley, which are under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's control. "They tried to stop us, to tear apart our flags, but their attempts failed. We came and read the fatiha," he said.

The administration of the Lieutenant Governor had denied permission for the Martyrs' Day function and warned of strict action against anyone who tried to proceed towards the Martyrs' Graveyard.

Condemning this, Mr Abdullah posted last morning, "13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today, but we will not forget their sacrifices."

Other Kashmir leaders, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference leader Sajad Lone, too, put out posts slamming their confinement.

What Happened On July 13, 1931

July 13 is an epochal day in the history of Kashmir. On this day in 1931, a group of Kashmiris were protesting outside the Srinagar jail. They were supporters of Abdul Qadeer, who had called on Kashmiris to rise against Dogra ruler Hari Singh and was charged with sedition. On July 13, a large group of protesters gathered outside the prison where Abdul Qadeer was being held. Faced with the protesters, the Maharaja's forces opened fire, killing 22 people. The July 13 killings triggered massive protests and forced the Dogra ruler and the British to look into the grievances of the Muslim community in the Valley. The first Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir were also a political fallout of the July 13 killings. These polls marked the beginning of the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir after centuries of autocratic rule, even though the Maharaja had sweeping powers on key matters.

What Has Changed

Earlier, police personnel gave a gun salute and floral tributes were offered at the Martyrs' Graveyard on July 13 every year. Political leaders would pay tributes and hold public meetings in memory of those killed in 1931. But ever since the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked in 2019 and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union territories, the administration has prohibited any function at the Martyrs' graveyard.

Since 2020, July 13 and December 5 -- former Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister and Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary -- have been dropped as official holidays. Instead, the birth anniversary of Dogra ruler Hari Singh is now a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir.