Omar Abdullah Urges Daily Wagers to End Strike, BJP Walks Out
Omar Abdullah Pleads with Daily Wagers to End Strike as BJP MLAs Storm Out of J&K Assembly
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made an impassioned appeal on Tuesday to daily wage workers to halt their four-day strike, which has plunged the Union Territory into a water crisis, urging them to engage with a newly formed government panel to address their demands.
The plea came amid a chaotic Assembly session, where BJP MLAs staged a dramatic walkout after clashing with treasury benches over the issue, accusing the National Conference (NC)-led government of inaction.
The strike, now in its fourth day, has seen scores of Jal Shakti (PHE) department workers and daily wagers take to the streets, facing police baton charges and detentions on Friday, Saturday, and Monday as they marched toward the Assembly, the CM’s residence, and the civil secretariat.
Their demands—release of pending wages and job regularization—have disrupted water supply across J&K, amplifying public frustration.
The Assembly erupted post-Question Hour when Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma (BJP) pressed the government for answers. “I’ve raised this since yesterday—the strike, the water crisis—but the government’s arrogance is deafening,” Sharma charged, sparking an uproar.
NC MLAs fired back with slogans, slamming the BJP’s “10-year failure” under the PDP-BJP coalition (2015-2018) and subsequent central rule post-2019, when J&K was split into two Union Territories. The NC-Congress alliance took power in October 2024 after Assembly polls, ending a five-year hiatus.
Amid the din, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather struggled to restore order as bills were hastily passed. Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary defended the government, noting a committee was set up within days of taking office—unlike the BJP’s decade-long inaction.
BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma retorted that Lieutenant Governor-related matters, including police actions, were beyond Assembly purview, a nod to the UT’s unique governance structure.
Abdullah, stepping in, acknowledged the workers’ plight. “You admit there’s been injustice for 10 years—proof nothing was done under your watch. We’re acting now,” he jabbed at the BJP, referencing Sham Lal Sharma’s tenure as a minister in his prior 2009-14 government.
“A committee under the Chief Secretary is in place. I urge the wagers to end the strike and talk. We’ll act on its recommendations,” he added, citing a six-month timeline set last Thursday.
The half-hour slugfest ended with BJP MLAs storming out, leaving Congress and PDP members largely mute.
