Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah (Pic credit: PTI) SRINAGAR: Chief minister Omar Abdullah showered fulsome praise Tuesday on “great visionary” Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the assembly while lamenting that J&K “would not have been where it is at present had the former PM’s road map” for the region been followed. Alluding to the BJP-led Centre’s 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and statehood, Omar suggested J&K wouldn’t have been downgraded if Vajpayee’s road map had been adhered to in spirit. “Unfortunately, the path shown by Vajpayee has been left mid-way and instead of connecting people, distances are being created,” National Conference (NC) vice-president and CM said on the second day of the inaugural assembly session of J&K as a Union territory (UT).
Speaking during obituary references to 57 leaders who passed away in the past decade, Omar struggled to find words to eulogise the former BJP stalwart. “What should I say about the late Vajpayee. He was a towering personality who started the Lahore bus and went to Minar-e-Pakistan.
He always tried to build friendly ties with Pakistan. He was the one who continuously said friends can be changed, not neighbours,” Omar said. The CM recalled Vajpayee’s slogan of “ Jhamoriyat, Kashmiriyat aur Insaniyat (Democracy, Kashmiri ethos and humanity)” as an example of the ex-PM’s unmatched vision.
“Perhaps, he was the first and the last leader who raised this slogan,” Omar said. The CM reminisced.