The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): National Conference leader Omar Abdullah criticized the Jammu and Kashmir administration, alleging it forcefully gathered a crowd for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally, asserting that the BJP couldn’t mobilize such numbers independently.
Abdullah claimed that thousands of government employees were instructed to assemble before dawn, coercively bused to the rally venue, with attendance mandated under threat of disciplinary action.
He highlighted the compulsion imposed on employees, emphasizing that their participation wasn’t voluntary but mandatory. Those failing to comply faced disciplinary consequences from their department heads.
Abdullah anticipated media praise for the purported “historic crowd” at the rally but asserted that most attendees were not there of their own accord. He accused the J-K government of dictatorial tactics, alleging it orchestrated the gathering to bolster the BJP’s presence, as the party lacked independent mobilization capabilities in the region.
Additionally, he alleged that private schools, including DPS, were compelled to provide their buses for transporting employees to the rally venue, indicating extensive lists of personnel and transport arrangements.
Abdullah decried the situation as emblematic of the “new” Jammu and Kashmir, criticizing the media’s purported silence on such coercion while focusing on narratives of “three families” and “development.”
