Former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on November 20 accused the BJP of deceiving people with its narrative that militancy in Kashmir was due to the existence of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir till 2019.
“We were told that if there are guns in Kashmir, it is only due to Article 370. If Article 370 is removed, there will be no guns but prosperity and stability. Five people were killed recently in an encounter [in Kulgam]. Four of them joined militancy in 2020 and the fifth in 2021. It was after 2019. It exposes [the BJP’s] deception. You not only deceived the people of Jammu and Kashmir but the rest of the country too,” Mr. Abdullah said.
The former Chief Minister made these remarks during a public rally at Kulgam in south Kashmir. Five local militants were killed in an overnight encounter on November 17 in Kulgam’s Samoo area. “Can they [the BJP] explain why they [militants] die? We are being deceived in the name of elections, solving unemployment and development,” Mr. Abdullah said.
