Jammu, Dec 22: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Abhijeet Jasrotia on Monday mounted a sharp counter-attack on National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, accusing him of deriding faith, welfare schemes and merit-based governance while overlooking his own party’s political legacy.
Addressing a press conference, Jasrotia reacted to Omar Abdullah’s remarks targeting “G Ram G,” questioning what he termed as the former chief minister’s selective recollection. He said Omar Abdullah appeared to have forgotten that his father, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had on several occasions publicly sung Ram bhajans.
“Faith and devotion cannot be politicised or ridiculed selectively,” Jasrotia said, adding that devotion transcends political ideology and family lineage. “Mocking faith reflects intolerance, not intellect,” he remarked.
Defending the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the BJP spokesperson said that the scheme upholds the dignity of labour and provides livelihood security. He added that Mahatma Gandhi would have taken pride in welfare initiatives aimed at empowering the weakest sections of society. “Any programme that guarantees work and food security is in line with Gandhiji’s vision,” he said.
Taking aim at what he described as dynasty-driven politics, Jasrotia said the era of “mamu–bhanja sarkar” and “beta–baap sarkar” in Jammu and Kashmir had ended. He asserted that government jobs are now being allotted on the basis of merit, transparency and eligibility, rather than family connections or political patronage.
He maintained that the BJP-led governance framework has dismantled nepotism and strengthened accountability. “Employment today is not about proximity to power but about capability and merit,” Jasrotia said.
Accusing Omar Abdullah and the National Conference of being uneasy with the new system, Jasrotia said political families were uncomfortable with a governance model that no longer revolves around lineage. He concluded by stating that Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a decisive transition from dynastic politics to people-centric governance, where faith is respected, welfare is strengthened and opportunities are determined by merit rather than inheritance.
