LoP calls CM “Tourist-in-chief,” says will lodge report of his missing from J&K

Srinagar, May 23: Describing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as a “tourist-in-chief,” Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma on Saturday said the CM’s calendar is packed with foreign tours rather than the disposal of files to address issues faced by the common man.

Speaking to news agency, Sharma said the Chief Minister is missing over the past 10 days and he is behaving more like a globetrotting traveler than the elected head of a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir.

“Omar Abdullah seems to be under the delusion that he is a tourist 24×7 or running a travel blog, not a state. While the Chief Minister is busy on foreign tours, the common man in Jammu & Kashmir is facing a plethora of problems ranging from the absence of electricity, water, and health facilities,” he said.

He said the CM is behaving like a tourist even as he himself is minister in-charge of 18 departments, including Finance, Power Development, General Administration, Tourism, Revenue, and several others. “A normal human being like me cannot do justice to more than one or two departments, but he is a ‘superman’ and he himself controls 50 percent of the administrative departments. How can you abandon the Civil Secretariat and rush off on foreign tours to London and other high-end destinations when you are in control of 50 percent of departments,” Sharma said.

The LoP added that Omar Abdullah’s non-seriousness could be imagined by the fact that a few months ago he wanted to rush to Paris in the middle of Kashmiri growers facing an unprecedented crisis with apple consignments stranded on the highway.

“When the highway was shut and our growers were crying and wailing, our CM planned to proceed on a sightseeing tour to Paris, but he had to abandon the plan after facing criticism,” Sharma said.

He further said that the BJP will soon lodge a missing report over the disappearance of CM Omar Abdullah. “We are going to file a missing report at police station Ram Munshi Bagh over Omar Abdullah’s disappearance. We are also consulting legal experts to discuss whether we can file a Habeas Corpus petition to produce Omar Abdullah before the public of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said—(KNO).

Sharma himself was missing during budget session: Dy CM

Srinagar, May 23: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Saturday hit back at Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma over his “missing complaint” remark targeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, saying the BJP leader himself remained absent during the crucial budget session.

Speaking to reporters here, Choudhary, as reported by the news agency, said the LoP has a major responsibility during the budget session as legislators are expected to raise issues concerning people from their respective constituencies.

“The Leader of Opposition said he would lodge a missing complaint against Omar Abdullah for not being seen for the past 10 days. But Sunil Sharma was also not seen during the budget session, and we too were looking for him,” he said.

The Deputy CM said the budget session is an important platform where public issues are discussed in the Assembly and questioned Sharma’s absence from the proceedings. “Where was the LoP during such an important session? We can understand he may have had some work, but the people of Jammu and Kashmir also wanted to know where he was at that time,” he said.

Choudhary said if Sunil Sharma is personally attacking CM Omar today, then he should first answer where he was during the budget session. “Why should we not have filed a missing report or even an FIR against you then?” he asked.

He further alleged that LoP had left behind the people of hilly and backward areas during that period. “Those poor, backward and mountainous people, where did you go, leaving them behind?” he asked.

Defending the Chief Minister, Choudhary said Omar Abdullah had gone out for work, and there was nothing unusual about it.

“Omar sahib has gone for work. Just as I or anyone else can travel somewhere for personal work, he too can go. Making an issue out of it is not healthy politics,” he added—(KNO).