Srinagar: Taking a virtual U-turn about the recent controversy over the newly floated idea of Pandit pilgrimage to Kousar Nag, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday said that he doesnt understand how 150 people visiting a lake could in any way do more damage to the environment than “we ourselves do.” Pandit groups and BJP had recently slammed the chief minister for “siding with the separatists” by banning the pilgrimage to a blue water spring in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
Please visit Gulmarg, Pahalgam or Sonmarg where people have gone during this long weekend and see the mess they leave there. See the mess we create in Dal Lake. I think we create far more damage to the environment than 150 persons visiting a lake,” he added. Omar also criticized the local administration over the handling of the Kousarnag Yatra issue.
“While I understand the need of these people to continuously coin political slogans, the mistake was on part of the administration… the way they handled the issue.” Otherwise, he said, there was nothing to be feared from this issue. He added, “They (separatists) rake up issues with emotional value and they convert them into political slogan,” the chief minister said during his interaction with press after the Independence Day function here at Baskhshi Stadium.
The Pandit groups had gone ballistic to oppose the state government after the yatra to Kousar Nag through the Valley route was banned. All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee ?APMCC? has alleged that the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir triggered “unnecessary row” over the Kousar Nag yatra with an eye on the upcoming polls in the state.
“We directly blame National Conference (NC) leaders, the Omar Abdullah government and mischief mongers among the separatists for triggering unnecessary row over Kousar Nag pilgrimage with an eye on the upcoming polls in the state,” APMCC chairman Vinod Pandit told reporters early this month.
“We caution the people of Kashmir against playing into the hands of NC, which is using them as canon fodder to fight the elections using communal card,” he said adding that a campaign launched by a NC leader was strengthened by some separatists and finally the Omar government took a U-turn and withdrew the permission for security to the yatra.
Indian home ministry had also intervened into the matter with the junior home minister Kiren Rijiju saying,”The CM (Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah) came and expressed his views. So, we will take into account all the aspects in national interest. We are not bound by opinion of one party or one organization. Everything has to be in the national interest.”
He has already asserted that the Union government would deal cautiously with the “sensitive” Kashmir issue and would guard the “national interest” while handling the restive state even more cautiously “in the national interest”.
“It is not wise enough on my part (now) to spell out the steps which we are planning to take because it is a sensi68tive matter and we are dealing with it cautiously and we have to see everything in national interest,” Rijiju said on the sidelines of the Passing Out Parade of the National Industrial Security Academy , premier training institute of Central Industrial Security Force at Hyderabad.
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