Srinagar, Sep 10: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday defended his party colleague and chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq over his remarks on poverty in Kashmir, while saying that the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at government functions was now a statutory obligation.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah also said he hoped the festival would pave the way for more film shoots in the region and create new employment opportunities for local youth.
On the prospects of films being shot in Kashmir, Abdullah said the development would boost tourism while opening up jobs for young people.
“Hopefully, films will be shot here. It will certainly give a boost to tourism, but it can also start a new process of employment here,” he said.
Abdullah said the government wanted local youth to acquire skills that could help them find work in the film industry.
“I said on the very first day that our effort is that our local boys and girls should take courses in camera work, production and other such areas, so that when films are shot here, they get an opportunity to work in them,” he said.
The Chief Minister was also asked about a protest by Kashmiri Pandit employees over accommodation.
“Which Kashmiri Pandit is without accommodation?” Abdullah asked, asserting that “not a single one of them is homeless”.
“Wherever accommodation has been made available, it has been allotted to them. So which Kashmiri Pandit employee is without accommodation?” he said.
“If there is even one or two people who need accommodation, tell us. Everyone else has been allotted accommodation,” Abdullah added.
On the controversy over the singing of the complete version of Vande Mataram at the film festival, amid objections from Congress leaders, Abdullah said the government was bound by law.
“Either they should have stopped this in Parliament. But the law has been made,” he said.
He argued that the presence of the Lieutenant Governor, governors and the Acting Chief Justice at a government function meant that the national anthem would necessarily be played, and said the legal framework now also covered the national song.
“This is not just for Jammu and Kashmir; it is across the country. Wherever there are Congress governments, this will also happen at government functions,” Abdullah said.
“If it does not happen, those who do not stand can face legal action. So what does Congress want? That Kashmiris should be put in jail on this pretext?” he asked.
Abdullah, however, made it clear that the National Conference’s position on Vande Mataram as a party remained unchanged.
“As a party, we have never adopted Vande Mataram and we will not adopt it in the future either. But we have to fulfil our legal and statutory obligations,” he said.
He added that if the Congress disagreed with the law, it could repeal it if it returned to power at the Centre.
Turning to the controversy over remarks by Tanvir Sadiq on poverty among Kashmiris in the past, Abdullah rejected calls for an apology or clarification.
“What did Tanvir say that was historically incorrect? Walter Lawrence wrote about it in his book,” Abdullah said.
He said several historians had written about the poverty and exploitation prevalent in Kashmir under the old agrarian system.
“And this is not the first time Tanvir has said this. Hardly any senior National Conference leader, from our president to the general secretary and others, has not spoken about a time when Kashmiris were so poor that they had to borrow a pajama from the mosque to come into the city,” he said.
“This is not Tanvir’s own thinking. It is a historical fact,” Abdullah said.
He said Sadiq’s intention had been to highlight how Kashmir had emerged from that poverty and progressed to a point where families could educate their children and produce doctors and engineers.
“So the BJP and PDP are playing the same game together. They take up one common issue and run with it. They have a common agenda,” Abdullah alleged.
“Tanvir does not need to apologise for this. Nor does he need to give any clarification. There is no need for anyone in my party to apologise over this. Tanvir has said nothing wrong,” he said.
On the BRICS summit scheduled in Delhi, Abdullah said he would wait to see how the meeting develops, while noting the participation of countries including Russia, China, South Africa and Brazil.
On the J&K Cabinet meeting, Abdullah said the government would continue its regular business.
“We hold at least one Cabinet meeting every month. The governance agenda cannot stop,” he said, adding that there would be “nothing earth-shattering” in the meeting.
