Jammu and Kashmir people will not tolerate being humiliated by BJP, says CM Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the people of the state will not tolerate being "humiliated" by the BJP over the rehabilitation of flood victims but prefer to rebuild their lives on their own.

"Today I tell the BJP – the people of Kashmir are not beggars but we are a dignified, resilient and brave people who won't tolerate being humiliated, stereotyped and abused by the BJP," the Chief Minister said.

"We will rebuild our homes, our businesses and our lives with dignity and respect even if BJP government in New Delhi continues to discriminate against us," Omar said while addressing election rallies in Sonawar constituency, where he is contesting from.

Sonawar will go to polls this Sunday. Stating that the dignified and effective rehabilitation of the flood victims was his top most priority, Omar said the PDP played "vengeful and destructive" politics during and after the devastating floods and ran to Delhi to ask for elections while the Valley was still submerged.

"PDP and BJP are two sides of the same coin when it comes to their lack of empathy and ruthlessness towards the flood victims. Rather than putting their efforts where their words are, both PDP and BJP started a political propaganda about the floods and left no stone unturned to score brownie points over an enormous, devastating natural calamity," he said.

Omar alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP "deliberately" stalled the relief and rehabilitation package submitted by his government to make the flood-hit people struggle and shiver in the winter chill.

"While Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) foisted elections on the flood victims even before they could get back into their homes, the BJP government in New Delhi discriminated against the people of Kashmir and left them to the mercy of God," he said.

"If the Prime Minister is allegedly so concerned about Kashmiris, why has the BJP government in New Delhi chosen to make the people of Kashmir struggle and shiver in the winter chill by deliberately stalling the relief and rehabilitation package submitted by the state government?" Omar asked.

He said "while the loss due to floods has been around one lakh crore, the BJP government has thrown a "pittance of a few hundred crore our way." Omar said "BJP's mission 44+ became mission 4 minus when despite spending loads of money and despite hiring people to attend their rally they couldn't muster more than 4,000 people".

"A single NC contesting candidate anywhere in the state addresses public meetings thrice the size of what was addressed by the Prime Minister along with more than a dozen contesting candidates of the BJP," he said referring to the attendance at the maiden election rally of Modi in Srinagar on Monday.

Launching a scathing attack on his coalition partner Congress, Omar said the "decimation of Congress from the state due to the dismal, questionable performance and conduct of its leaders had rendered the Congress' hand fractured and this was the reason why Congress leaders were busy in blame-game." "Congress has become bitter and nervous due to its complete decimation from the state and wants to blame others for an inarguably questionable track-record of its own leaders in the state," Omar said.

He said National Conference cadre has given a befitting response to the slander and name-calling of the BJP by yet again emerging as an army of patriots to stand by the flag, the honour and the identity of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We have given BJP, PDP and Congress a resounding answer in the first three phases and we will continue to answer their rhetoric by the might of our grassroots support in the remaining two phases as well," Omar said.