Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 8: Leader of Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir, Sunil Sharma, has sharply criticized Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his recent statement claiming that a Union Territory (UT) with an assembly is the “worst form” of government. Sharma accused Omar Abdullah of being stressed because there is no place for him in the current democratic system, where his party members are no longer allowed to engage in corrupt practices.
Sunil Sharma responded to Abdullah’s remarks by stating, “Democracy in this state has ended terrorism, stone-pelting, hooliganism, brought transparency, and financial reforms. Omar Abdullah is stressed because there is no place for him in this democracy, where his workers had a free hand for corruption and causing disturbances. It was under his government that a district president was made the district commissioner, and a tehsil president was made the tehsildar. If we expose him, he will not be able to stay here.”
Earlier, during a press conference in Jammu, CM Omar Abdullah had argued that a Union Territory with an assembly is the “worst form” of government in the country, advocating for either states or UTs without assemblies as the better system. He further stated, “I still maintain that a UT with an Assembly is by far the worst form of government in the country. There should only be two systems in this country—either you have a UT without an Assembly or a state.”
Regarding the recent state budget, Omar Abdullah described it as a “love letter to the people of Jammu and Kashmir” and anticipated criticism from the opposition. He emphasized that the government’s effort was to present a budget aimed at benefiting the people, easing their daily lives, and accelerating development.
Omar Abdullah also highlighted that this was the first time in the state’s history that the Chief Minister, in the capacity of Finance Minister, had presented the budget. “Our effort has been to present a budget that benefits the people and makes their daily lives easier, accelerating the pace of development. While we never claimed that everything would be achieved in one budget, we have laid down a blueprint for the next five years,” he said.
Additionally, Omar Abdullah discussed the efforts to revive the Press Club in Srinagar and the formulation of a new hydropower policy in the state. He also announced the government’s intention to encourage the southern film industry to shoot films in Jammu and Kashmir to attract more tourists from South India.