Jammu, July 21 (KINS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the ruling National Conference (NC), accusing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of indulging in “political theatrics” in New Delhi while Jammu and Kashmir was grappling with widespread devastation caused by flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Sunil Sharma, along with former minister and MLA Sham Lal Sharma, MLA Mohan Lal Bhagat, BJP Vice President Dr. Shehnaz Ganai, General Secretary Gopal Mahajan and spokesperson Zorawar Singh Jamwal, alleged that the NC leadership had chosen “politics over humanity” by holding a protest in the national capital while several districts, particularly Poonch and Rajouri, were reeling from the aftermath of heavy rains.
Sharma said that as the head of the government, the Chief Minister’s foremost responsibility was to remain in Jammu and Kashmir, personally oversee rescue and relief operations, and ensure that all available resources were mobilised to assist the affected families.
The BJP demanded ₹20 lakh ex gratia for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in flash floods and cloudbursts. The party also sought six months of free ration for affected families, immediate rehabilitation of those displaced by the rains, restoration of damaged religious institutions, and temporary accommodation for slum dwellers in Rajouri who lost their homes and belongings in the floods.
The party further demanded similar compensation for the families of those killed in shooting stone incidents at Ragi Nallah in Doda district and adequate relief for people whose homes and other structures were damaged in the Kyar-Dachhan belt of Kishtwar district.
Sharma said that following reports of another cloudburst in the Loran-Mandi area, a BJP team led by former party president Ravinder Raina had rushed to the affected area to meet the victims and assess the ground situation so that immediate assistance could be extended.
“The Chief Minister should have been standing with the grieving families and supervising the rescue operations instead of staging a political protest in New Delhi. Even today, several bodies remain buried under the debris in the flood-ravaged areas of Poonch and Rajouri, but the ruling party appears more interested in political optics than addressing the humanitarian crisis,” Sharma alleged.
Referring to photographs of the Chief Minister circulating on social media during the Delhi protest, Sharma alleged that Omar Abdullah was “busy posing for photographs with his sons and sharing pictures of travelling in an e-rickshaw” while people in Jammu and Kashmir were facing an unprecedented disaster.
“It is unfortunate that while families are searching for their missing loved ones and rescue teams are risking their lives to retrieve bodies from the debris, the Chief Minister is engaged in what has become a Delhi picnic and photo session,” he claimed.
Sharma, who recently visited the flood-affected areas of Poonch and Rajouri, said the scale of destruction was enormous and many affected families were still awaiting immediate assistance. He said the administration should focus entirely on relief, rehabilitation and restoring normalcy instead of pursuing political programmes outside the Union Territory.
Accusing the National Conference of displaying “insensitivity” towards the tragedy, Sharma said the ruling party had demonstrated that “politics comes first while human suffering takes a back seat.” He urged the Chief Minister to return to Jammu and Kashmir and devote his full attention to rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.
The BJP leaders also said that party workers across the flood-affected districts were preparing a comprehensive report on losses to residential and commercial properties, crops, livestock and agricultural land. The report, they said, would be submitted to the party leadership for taking up the matter with both the Union Territory administration and the Central Government.
Lashing out at the Omar Abdullah-led government, Sharma said, “The events of July 20 have exposed the moral and administrative failure of the National Conference leadership. When devastating flash floods and cloudbursts struck Rajouri and Poonch, resulting in loss of lives and large-scale destruction, the choice before the government was simple—humanity or politics. Unfortunately, Omar Abdullah chose politics over humanity.”(KINS)
Omar chose politics over humanity during crisis: Sunil Sharma BJP seeks 20 Lakh compensation for flood victims
