Uproar over purchase of vehicles worth Rs 3 crore for CM Omar Abdullah in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir government has approved the purchase of eight Toyota Fortuner vehicles at a cost of Rs 3.04 crore for the official use of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. These vehicles will be deployed in Delhi, Jammu and Srinagar. However, there is growing resentment among the opposition and the public regarding this decision, calling it “ignoring the needs of the public”.

Train deployment details

• Delhi: Four vehicles.
• Jammu: Two vehicles.
• Srinagar: Two vehicles.

As per the government order, the funds allocated for the purchase of these trains will be used only for this purpose, and it will be mandatory to submit complete accounts of the expenditure by March 31, 2025. Officials have also clarified that only existing staff will be used to operate these trains, while new posts will be created for drivers.

sharp attack from the opposition

The opposition has fiercely targeted this decision of the government.

Junaid Mattoo (former mayor of Srinagar):

• Mattoo wrote on social media platform X:
  

  “200 units of free electricity, violation of rules, age relaxation for PSI, but shopping for Raja’s convoy – wow.”

• He termed the government’s priorities as contrary to the interests of the public.

Opposition’s allegations:

• This decision has come at a time when issues like inflation and lack of basic facilities are affecting the people in the state.
• The opposition says that this decision is a misuse of public money and the government’s priorities are completely wrong.

political background

Amidst this controversial decision, Omar Abdullah’s party National Conference has strengthened its position as the largest party by winning 42 seats in the recently held assembly elections.

• Omar Abdullah won from Budgam and Ganderbal seats.
• The BJP won 29 seats, while the National Conference ally Congress could win only 6 seats.

This decision, after the party’s victory, is giving a big opportunity to the opposition to question the policies and priorities of the government.

resentment among the public

The decision to buy expensive vehicles by spending crores of rupees from the government treasury has created dissatisfaction among the general public.

• public opinion:
  • The government should spend money in areas like infrastructure, health services and education.
  • Purchasing expensive vehicles is being seen as ignoring the needs of the public.

Government’s stand and clarification

Till now, no official statement has come from the Omar Abdullah government on this controversy.

• Officials say that the purpose of purchasing these vehicles is to improve the security and functioning of the Chief Minister.
• The government argues that this expenditure is as per the rules and transparency has been maintained in it.

Such controversy had arisen earlier also

This is not the first time that there has been controversy over the purchase of vehicles of a Chief Minister. Even before this, the opposition has raised questions regarding such decisions in many states.

• Such issues negatively impact the government’s credibility and priorities among the public.