When Navika Kumar asked Omar Abdullah’s almost sardonically about Mufi-Abdullah rule, he retorted powerful answers that silenced her.
Over the years, the Bharatiya Janata Party along with some Media channels have often poked the Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on their apparent “misrule and nepotistic” government over the decades in Kashmir.
In an interview, Navika Kumar TV anchor of Times Now asked Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir again about the about Mufi-Abdullah rule, and he responded back with a powerful answer that seemed to stun her to silence..
He retorted, “I’m willing to accept we were all incompetent. Please tell me what has changed in the last two years?”
While Navika replied with a smile, “So you want 73 years to be undone in two?”
Abdullah shrugged his shoulders and challenged, “Make a start!”
Navika queried incredulously, “The start hasn’t begun, you can’t see the start?”
Abdullah replied emphatically, “Show me the start, where is the start? Show me one new investment that has come. Show me one positive development that has come. Everything that is being inaugurated right now from roads to tunnels to powerhouses, to hospitals, to schools, to colleges, to universities were all given in the previous government.”
He went on to say, “Ghulam Nabi Azad gave the medical colleges, Dr. Manmohan Singh gave the central universities, Dr. Manmohan Singh gave the highway between Jammu and Srinagar. The tunnel in Banihal, the tunnel in Nashri was started when Dr. Manmohan Singh was prime minister. The Juzar Tunnel and the predecessor the Z mode Tunnel, again, I was there when the foundation stone was laid during Dr. Manmohan Singh.”
He said, “Let me list out for you what we did and then you list out what has been done over the last two years, and let’s see where we are. I’m telling you in terms of numbers, what do you want, here, I have numbers in front of me:
We are third in life expectancy compared to the rest of the country. UP is the lowest in the country.
We are seventh in terms of the number of doctors available for the population. Seventh in the country we were before 2019. You say we did nothing. I am willing to accept that, where did these doctors come from?”
He said passionately, “Here, in poverty, Jammu and Kashmir is amongst the lowest states in the country, in terms of poverty, where did that come from? It’s not a gift of the last two years. It’s the last 70 plus years that you claim had no governance at all.
In terms of infant mortality, we are tenth in the country. Again, you don’t see that because all you can see is Article 370 and you believe Jammu and Kashmir have suffered on account of that.
In terms of the Human Development Index, Jammu and Kashmir rank higher than some of your very fancy states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, and yet you claim that Jammu and Kashmir got nothing and the Muftis and the Abdullahs and the Congress did nothing. Argue with the numbers and tell me.”
Navika seemed silent for the first time and here are the leaders’ responses from different quarters on Twitter:
I watched Times Now after a very long time and Wallah, it was so soothing to see “bullies” being brought down to their knees & the News anchor was unreservedly in a tight spot, literally grasping for air.
Loins Roar & they Roar real loud.#OmarSpeaksForJK https://t.co/vJmRmFgOLm— Yawar Hayat Shah (@shahyawar786) August 2, 2021
Jenab @OmarAbdullah saheb spoke extensively about the Valley’s future and I am confident that people of J&K will defeat the injustice with new energy and new hope as he has the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning. #OmarSpeaksForJK
Zindabad https://t.co/IxmiTnOnhK— Bismah Meer (@bismah_m_meer) August 2, 2021
Have never seen Navika so confused and struggling to sound rational while playing the tune of 'you know which media'. @OmarAbdullah sb has questioned her questions and she seems to have no answers #OmarSpeaksforJK
— Imran Nabi Dar (@ImranNDar) August 2, 2021
Facts vs Propaganda ? pic.twitter.com/d8hIVXnc4w
— Srinivas B V (@srinivasiyc) August 2, 2021
Omar Abdullah takes Godi Media to the cleaners! This was clearly out of syllabus for Navika Kumar. pic.twitter.com/n8bnxhrfkX
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) August 3, 2021