Modi excludes Omar from J&K security review meeting

In a snub to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not invite him for the security review meeting he conducted on Friday at Army’s 15-Corps headquarters here.

Omar, who had several bitter exchanges with the Prime Minister during the Lok Sabha elections, did not hold one on one meeting with the prime minister.

Since 1996, prime ministers visiting the state always had the chief ministers as part of their official programmes.

“I have no idea, because I am not part of that (security review) meeting. I have no scheduled meeting with the PM during this visit. I met him in Delhi a few weeks ago and discussed issues regarding the State then,” Omar had reportedly said on Thursday.

Though the chief minister accompanied Modi when he inaugurated Udhampur-Katra railway line in Jammu, both traded jibes in their speeches on the occasion. In his address, Omar credited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh for their contribution in realizing this cherished desire of the people. “Nobody should dare to show us down with the might of money and power,” Omar had said on Thursday.

However, without naming the Chief Minister, Modi said, “I want development of every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir and peace will return only when there is development.”

Modi, who later flew to Srinagar, addressed a ‘sainik samleen’ at 15-Corps headquarters here, where he commended the army for its anti-militancy operations in the state. He did not invite Omar to the function.