Omar, Kejriwal slam Centre over Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest after Ladakh protest

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday (September 26) slammed the Centre over the arrest of activist Sonam Wangchuk following violent protests in Ladakh that led to the death of four people.

While Abdullah accused the Centre of backtracking on its promises, in reference to the Jammu and Kashmir statehood restoration issue, Kejriwal described the arrest as an attack on democracy.

‘Wangchuk’s arrest unfortunate’

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar described Wangchuk’s arrest as “unfortunate”, alleging that the way the Centre targeted him since Thursday, such an action was not entirely unexpected.

"This (Wangchuk's arrest) is unfortunate. The way the Central government has been after him since yesterday, it seemed they would do something like this," said Omar.

Also Read: Activist Sonam Wangchuk arrested after Ladakh clashes

Omar brings up JK statehood issue

Elaborating further, the Chief Minister said that the Centre made a lot of promises to the people of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, but later backtracked on them.

He also said that the people of Leh, who initially had decided to boycott the 2020 Hill council elections, took part in the poll after the Centre sent a Union minister who went there and made promises to the people.

"Promises were made to make people contest and participate in the elections. Not only did the people then participate in the elections in huge numbers, but they also made the BJP win. But the promises were not kept, just as with us," he said.

Also Read: Ready for arrest but that may cause govt more problems: Sonam Wangchuk

Omar slams BJP over statehood

Referring to the promise of the restoration of J&K's statehood after the completion of assembly elections, Abdullah said the people in the Union territory participated in the elections, and then the government was formed here based on those promises.

He asked whether the people of J&K are being kept away from statehood because they didn't elect the BJP to power.

"If that is the case, then they should tell the court that till the BJP doesn't form the government in JK, statehood will not be restored," he said.

To a question over the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the J&K assembly, Sunil Sharma's allegation that Abdullah was justifying violence in Ladakh, the CM said the BJP MLA always pins the blame on others.

Also Read: From Leh’s streets to Delhi’s doorstep: Ladakh’s fight for identity rekindled

‘Dictatorship at its peak’, says Kejriwal

As for Kejriwal, the former Delhi Chief Minister said that dictatorship in the country has reached its peak, adding that the country was passing through a very difficult phase.

"Ravana's end also came. Kansa's end also came. Hitler's and Mussolini's ends also came.

"And today, people hate all those individuals. Today in our country, dictatorship is at its peak. The end of those who practice dictatorship and arrogance is very bad," Kejriwal wrote in Hindi in a post on X.

Earlier, in another post on X, he described Wangchuk as a man committed to education and innovation, and said it was painful to see him facing action.

(With agency inouts)