Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while addressing a public meeting at Sonamarg on January 13 following the inauguration of the 6.4 km-long Z-Morh tunnel by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, praised the Prime Minister for his efforts to bridge the gap in Jammu and Kashmir. Omar emphasized that PM Modi was working to reduce both “Dil Ki Doori” and “Delhi Ki Doori” in the region, while also crediting the Prime Minister for ensuring free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir.Omar noted, “People participated overwhelmingly in the polls, and there was no rigging or complaints of election malpractices. Not a single polling station required re-polling. The credit for this goes to you, your associates, and the Election Commission.” He also thanked the Prime Minister for coming to inaugurate the Z-Morh tunnel, despite the harsh weather. “The weather favored you as not a single cloud is in the sky, and the sun is shining brightly. There is no lack of warmth in our hearts,” Omar added.The Chief Minister’s remarks, however, drew sharp criticism from various political figures. Former minister and Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Lone took to X (formerly Twitter) to mock Omar, stating, “Here is our CM sahib, grinning from ear to ear, happy that the clouds have made way for PM sahib.” He shared a video clip of Omar praising the Prime Minister, calling it a “gift to all those who propagated his ‘All others are BJP’ discourse.”Former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu also weighed in, commenting on X, “Today, welcoming the same Modi Ji has become Halaal for Omar Abdullah.” He added that during his tenure as Mayor, when he received PM Modi in Srinagar, the National Conference (NC) and its supporters had criticized him. “Now, warming up to the BJP, down on two knees, is apparently noble,” he remarked. Mattu also criticized Omar’s speech, calling it embarrassing to watch, especially in comparison to his previous rhetoric against the PM and BJP.Former Srinagar Deputy Mayor Parvaiz Qadri, who had been associated with the NC, reminded Omar of the uproar within the party after he attended a PM rally in 2024. “You raised an uproar and asked me to resign from the National Conference. Now, today, you and the NC tribe attended the PM’s inauguration. Does this mean the entire JKNC should be disbanded, or is the party unofficially aligned with the BJP?” Qadri asked in a post on X.In response to the criticism, National Conference spokesman Imran Nabi Dar defended Omar. He dismissed the accusations, emphasizing that it was Omar’s right and duty to urge the Prime Minister for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Dar pointed out that Omar’s language was dignified, serious, and official, contrasting it with the language used by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, which he described as obsequious. Dar also dismissed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as irrelevant, claiming that they were simply unnerved by Omar’s bold stance on statehood restoration.The criticism of Omar Abdullah’s praise for Prime Minister Modi reflects the ongoing political tensions in Jammu and Kashmir, especially regarding the region’s special status and its relationship with the central government.
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