Panchayat polls will be first litmus test for Omar Govt: Sunil Sharma

Srinagar, Oct 22 : Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Thursday said the upcoming Panchayat and municipal elections would be the first major test of the Omar Abdullah-led government, accusing the National Conference (NC) of avoiding grassroots polls out of fear of losing public support.
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‎Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a BJP function in Kashmir, Sharma alleged that the ruling party had failed to deliver on its election promises and was reluctant to face voters at the grassroots level.
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‎“The Panchayat elections will be the first litmus test for the Omar Abdullah government. They have made promises on electricity, jobs and ration, but the people have been deceived,” Sharma said.
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‎He accused the Abdullah family of opposing Panchayat elections because it did not want other political leaders to emerge at the local level.
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‎“They know the National Conference will face defeat in these elections. That is why they are afraid of holding them,” he claimed.
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‎Sharma said the government should face the public through Panchayat and municipal elections, which he described as an important measure of its popularity.
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‎On the security situation, the BJP leader claimed that militancy had declined significantly in Jammu and Kashmir over the past five years.
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‎He credited the Union Home Ministry and security agencies for the improvement, claiming that recruitment of local Kashmiri youth into militant organisations had stopped over the past two years.
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‎“This is a major sign that militancy is coming to an end. The youth who were earlier misled into taking up arms are no longer joining terrorist organisations,” he said.
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‎Sharma said security forces were continuing operations against foreign militants, while activities linked to stone-pelting and overground worker networks had also declined.
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‎Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent remarks, he said Kashmir was gradually moving from decades of militancy towards peace, although complete normalcy would take more time.
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‎On comparisons between political prisoners in Kashmir and protesters in Ladakh, Sharma rejected the argument, saying people accused of serious militancy-related offences could not be treated in the same manner as peaceful protesters.
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‎He said the BJP would support justice for innocent people but maintained that those involved in violence against the country could not be described as innocent.
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‎Earlier, Sharma addressed a BJP programme organised to honour senior party leader Ashok Koul, who has been assigned a new organisational responsibility after serving in a key party position for around 14 years.
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‎He praised Koul’s contribution to strengthening the BJP’s organisational network in Kashmir and said changes in party responsibilities were part of a routine organisational process.
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‎Sharma added that Koul’s guidance would continue to benefit the party in the future. (KNS)