Omar playing politics over statehood to cover up his own failures: Altaf Thakur

• ‘NC leader dodging accountability, misleading people to stay politically afloat' 

SRINAGAR: Escalating the political heat in Jammu and Kashmir, senior BJP leader and party spokesperson Altaf Thakur today launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister and the National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, accusing him of using the demand for statehood as a political smokescreen to divert attention from his own failures and internal turmoil within the NC.

Thakur said that Omar Abdullah has made a habit of resorting to emotional and populist issues, not out of concern for the people but as a calculated move to deflect criticism and distract the public from his party’s declining influence and fractured leadership.

“Time and again, Omar Abdullah clutches onto the statehood issue to stay in the headlines. Statehood will be restored as promised so there is no need to play politics over it. This isn’t about the people—it’s about saving face. The statehood demand has already been addressed and assured by the central government. But instead of contributing constructively to the democratic process, he’s weaponizing it to score political points,” Thakur said.

The BJP leader went further to accuse Omar of inconsistency and opportunism, particularly on sensitive issues like the Waqf Board. “He changes his narrative depending on which way the political wind blows. One day he questions institutions, the next he praises them. This flip-flopping reflects not leadership, but confusion and desperation,” Thakur remarked.

He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have grown politically mature and are no longer swayed by outdated emotional appeals or political theatrics. “Governance under Omar was marked by inefficiency and missed opportunities. The public remembers. No amount of rhetoric can rewrite the past,” he added. Thakur urged the National Conference to focus on internal reform and meaningful contribution instead of what he called “constant blame games and headline-hunting.”