Hope PM doesn’t succumb to pressure, sends chadar to Ajmer dargah: Omar

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed hope on Thursday, 2 January, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not succumb to pressure from any quarters and continue the yearly tradition of sending a "chadar" to the Ajmer dargah.

"You cannot separate religion from politics. We say that there should be a separation of the church from the State, but that does not happen. Votes are being sought in the name of religion, politics is done in the name of religion. This is a reality that we should accept. (However), I hope that the prime minister does not succumb to any pressure and sends a chadar to Ajmer," Abdullah told reporters here.

He added that the sentiments of the members of various communities are attached to the Ajmer dargah.

"It is not that just the people of a particular religion visit the Ajmer dargah. While Muslims go there, many non-Muslims also visit the dargah. The sentiments of many people are attached to it.

"Thankfully, the Supreme Court has put a stop to people trying to look for temples underneath mosques. When the court comes to an overall decision, that will be binding on everyone," he said.

Asked if the change in his dressing style over the last couple of years is to assert his Muslim identity, Abdullah said he does not wear clothes to send out wider messages.

"I do not open my cupboard in the morning thinking what will I wear that day or with an aim of sending out a message. I should think (what to wear) because sometimes I get into trouble. I wear a Sozni cap because it is part of my heritage. I wore a pagdi in Jammu because of my respect for all cultures. It does not weaken my faith.

"If there is a message going out, I am not doing it on purpose. I wear this cap because it suits me and keeps my head warm as my hairline is receding. I tried to put on a Karakul cap but that does not suit me," he added.

Responding to a question, the National Conference (NC) leader said the government does not need to do anything to project a secular image of Kashmir as the people of the valley are doing it on their own.

"During the recent snowfall, we saw it again. People opened their homes and mosques to accommodate tourists. Deputy commissioners or officials did not force them to do it. Whenever there is a need, people will do it," he added.

Meanwhile, Abdullah expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir's Union Territory status is a temporary phase and that the central government fulfils its promise of restoring its statehood.

"For us, the biggest challenge is to get our statehood back. We the people are now expecting that the promises made to us will be fulfilled. The biggest promise is the restoration of the statehood.

"The Supreme Court in its judgement had also stated that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. One year has passed since and we think one year should be enough," Abdullah said in a freewheeling interaction with mediapersons at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).

He took questions on various issues confronting his two-month-old government, including the functioning of an elected government that has to share powers with the Centre's appointee -- the lieutenant governor.

"It has been a little over two months since we came to power. It took us time to understand how the UT government works. We have been associated with the government earlier, but there is a vast difference between that form and the present form," Abdullah said.