Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday urged the people of Ladakh to maintain peace, while defending the Congress and accusing the BJP of shifting blame for its own failures in the wake of the Leh violence.
Four people were killed and over 80 injured on Wednesday during widespread clashes amid a shutdown in Ladakh. The protests, which sought statehood for Ladakh and the extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, turned violent as demonstrators set the BJP office and several vehicles in Leh on fire.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to flood-hit villages in Reasi district, Abdullah said the violence reflected the failure of the lieutenant governor-led Ladakh administration to take timely measures to maintain law and order.
When asked about the BJP’s allegations that the Congress was behind the violence, Abdullah dismissed the charge. “The administration is theirs (BJP’s). When they fail, they blame someone else. If the Congress was so powerful to incite riots, why couldn’t it form the council in 2020? The BJP won the elections while the Congress suffered a heavy defeat. Whenever things go wrong, the BJP invents excuses,” he said.
Calling it the BJP’s “habit” to blame others, Abdullah stressed that the real responsibility lay with the administration. “Whenever such incidents occur, it is the administration that fails first. Instead of blaming others, it should introspect and see where it went wrong,” he said.
Describing the situation in Ladakh as “unfortunate,” Abdullah expressed sorrow over the loss of four lives and the injuries to many others. “I appeal to people not to take the law into their hands and to maintain peace. The Government of India should seriously address their genuine demands,” he added.
The chief minister further said he wished for peace and harmony between Leh and Kargil. “They demanded Union territory status, and they got it. Now, let them progress as much as possible under the UT,” he said.
