Kamal Ghorui
JAMMU: In the J&K assembly, BJP members miss no opportunity to corner the Omar Abdullah govt over a host of issues. Outside the House, however, some of the party MLAs generously praised the chief minister on Friday over his budgetary allocation for the annual Amarnath Yatra.“Our CM’s move to allocate Rs 180 crore for Amarnath Yatra is a positive step,” Pawan Gupta, BJP MLA from Udhampur West, said, adding that it “reflects the changing times in Jammu and Kashmir”.Linking govt’s move to a broader sense of political and social transition in the region, Gupta said: “What we want at the end of the day is that Kashmir should join the mainstream, and slowly that is happening. In this Assembly, today you hear legislators saying they are proud Indians. Earlier, we mostly heard about special status.”The MLA said although BJP remained critical of govt on several issues, good and constructive decisions should be acknowledged.In his budget speech last week, Omar said his govt was deeply committed to ensuring the safety, comfort and spiritual experience of pilgrims visiting the holy cave shrine. He proposed to “further modernise pilgrimage infrastructure with an outlay of Rs 180 crore during 2026-27, in partnership with the Border Roads Organization, to improve road connectivity, emergency response systems and logistical support.” The initiative would ensure that the yatra became safer, smoother and more dignified for the pilgrims, he announced.Gupta said the chief minister’s current stance on the Amarnath pilgrimage marked a significant shift from the past. “Earlier, Omar Abdullah had different opinions about the yatra, but now his views have changed. As an Indian, it is my duty to appreciate this change,” he said.BJP legislator Balwant Singh Mankotia, too, appreciated the change in the CM’s approach, recalling in the Assembly how Omar had opposed such measures during the 2008 agitation, when he had stated that “not an inch of land would be given”.Another party MLA, Vikram Randhawa representing Bahu constituency, who had earlier in the day created a ruckus in the House alleging that Kashmiris were illegally settling on land belonging to the Jammu Development Authority, praised the CM for the budgetary allocation for Amarnath Yatra.
