SRINAGAR — Omar Abdullah, Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, while being asked by the reporters on Tuesday to give his reaction regarding the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that he hadn’t had time to review it due to party commitments. However, he was quick to criticize the Centre over the “worst unemployment” crises facing the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah emphasized the severe challenges facing Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the escalating unemployment crisis, which he described as the worst in the country. “I hope to see provisions in the budget addressing the plight of unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
He also highlighted the Valley’s ongoing problems with water and electricity shortages, calling for these problems to be addressed in the Finance Minister’s budget speech. Abdullah assured that his party’s two Members of Parliament would raise these critical issues if these were overlooked.
Commenting on the Supreme Court’s order concerning the Kanwar Yatra, Abdullah criticized the directive of Uttar Pradesh Police in Muzaffarnagar to shop owners to display their names outside shops during the Kanwar Yatra. He stated that such an order should never have existed in the first place.
Condemning the directive of displaying shopkeepers’ names along the Yatra route, he argued it marginalizes Muslim shopkeepers in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Drawing a stark contrast, Abdullah pointed out the integral role of Muslims in supporting the Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir and added that Muslims carry Amarnath pilgrims on their shoulders to get a glimpse of the Shiva Lingam. He accused the BJP of sparking religious controversies and victimizing minorities, especially Muslims.
The Uttar Pradesh government on July 19 had made it mandatory for food and beverage shops along Kanwar Yatra routes to display the name and identity of the operator or owner of their establishments. Similar directives had been issued in other states including Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
However, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed the direction issued by authorities, saying in its order that they (shopkeepers/vendors) must not be forced to display the name/identity of the owners and also the employees, deployed in their respective establishments.
