Abdullah addressed a worker’s convention at the mausoleum of his grandparents at Hazratbal on the 26th death anniversary of his grandmother Akbar Jehan.
Abdullah claimed the BJP was using money power to buy his MLAs. “Attempts are being made to break the National Conference. After greed for money and ministerial berths didn’t work, the BJP is now telling my MLAs behind closed doors that ‘come with us and we will give you statehood’,” Abdullah claimed.
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The CM claimed that a NC MLA from Jammu informed him that he was offered Rs 30 crore and a ministerial berth to switch sides.
“God bears witness that one MLA from Jammu told me that a BJP office-bearer, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, offered him Rs 20-30 crore, a ministry, and statehood after asking him to support them. They think people’s faith is so weak,” he said.
Asserting that the National Conference MLAs will not “sell” themselves, Abdullah said there is not a single legislator on the stage who will sell his integrity for Rs 20 crore, or even Rs 100 crore, “because we know that we are answerable to god”. Telling the BJP that it cannot ascend to power in J&K through the backdoor, Abdullah said, “Don’t think that we are so weak that you will make an entry through the backdoor. You will never reach the chair at the front through the backdoor. People have kept you at the back, and you will remain there.”The CM asked the central government not to treat his patience for the restoration of statehood as a weakness and demanded that the they make the definition of ‘appropriate time’ clear.
“We have to keep patience…but patience is not the path of weakness. Patience is not the path of silence…It doesn’t mean that we don’t have to raise our voice for our rights. It doesn’t mean that you will take undue advantage of our patience. It doesn’t mean that you will think us weak. This patience is our strength, it is our voice, and God willing, this patience will be our success,” said Abdullah.
He further said the central government should ask itself why after being in power for over one-and-a-half years, the ruling party in J&K was mulling a protest at Jantar Mantar.
“I kept my political future and reputation at stake and told the Centre that we want to secure our rights through dialogue and not violence, knowing that this decision can be very risky for me politically,” he said.
Abdullah said after he formed the government, he wanted to give some time to the Centre to fulfil its promises. “The reality is that they want to keep the situation like this,” he said.
The chief minister said his party’s success in assembly elections has become a “punishment” for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He accused the BJP-led central government of controlling governance of J&K through the LG and said, “If you had to harass people through the Raj Bhavan, dismiss employees and run bulldozers, then why did you bring us forward?”
Abdullah asked the Centre to define the implication of “appropriate time”. “I ask them, for God’s sake, how will we know that the appropriate time has come. What do I and my colleagues have to do to reach that appropriate time,” he said.
He further asked if the appropriate time implies BJP coming to power in the erstwhile state. “Have the courage to say it publicly. At least, we will not remain in this deception that you will fulfil the promise,” he added.
