SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that history is history and nobody should try to re-write it with political intent.
Speaking to reporters here today, CM Omar Abdullah said India’s history is known to everyone and nobody should try to re-write history for political ends.
Asked about the Partition of India in 1947 and the belief that the Partition was forced on the subcontinent by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, CM Omar Abdullah said, “The British divided us and that is the truth. Let our children be taught history as it existed so that they can tomorrow draw their own conclusions.”
“If today chapters are added in school curriculum on the RSS, when the government changes tomorrow or in the future, because governments come and go, would the new party in power remove those chapters on the RSS and add those suited to their political ideology? Let us not fiddle with history”, he added.
Asked about the India Bloc’s candidate for the election to the Vice President’s post, CM Omar Abdullah said, “First of all, this election was forced on us and we don’t know why did Dhankhar Sahib resign. We don’t know where he went after resigning.”
“I hope he is well”, CM Omar Abdullah said.
He said once the election takes place, the UPA candidate should win.
Answering questions about the Kishtwar tragedy, the Chief Minister said, “There is very little hope that the over 70 missing people would be found alive.
“Our duty is to provide relief to the bereaved families. When I went there, the people gave me details about their demands and we are trying to fulfil those demands.”
Asked about his apprehensions about glacial lakes bursting their banks and drowning areas downstream, CM Abdullah said, “What happened in Kishtwar was due to a cloudburst. We had another such incident earlier in Ramban.
“In Ramban the casualties were less and in Kishtwar we suffered huge loss of human life.
“We have to constitute a team of experts who will go into cloudburst vulnerable areas and suggest measures to mitigate human losses and loss to property due to such tragedies.”
Asked about the Opposition slamming his signature campaign for restoration of statehood, CM Abdullah said, “When we did not go to the people for this purpose, the Opposition wanted us to take the issue to the public.
“Now that we have gone to the people, they are opposing this move as well.
“The Opposition is Opposition, their job is to oppose and our job is to do work. Let them do their job and let us do our job.” –IANS
