“I would rather short-circuit the public meeting and leave rather than promise a new district where I can’t give one in the short-term,” tweeted J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah as he left halfway a rally his National Conference (NC) had organised at Beeru, a town outside Srinagar, on Tuesday.
Sources in the chief minister’s secretariat here said that he refused to make a false commitment to the people of the town on their demand for a district and “preferred to leave the venue than to lie to them”. A local NC leader, Prof. Abdul Majeed Mattoo had reportedly managed presence of large number of people at the rally after promising them that the chief minister will announce the district status for Beeru. Mr Abdullah told the crowd in no uncertain terms that even though he sympathised with them he cannot make a false commitment. He elucidated the procedure adopted for creation of new districts was not only lengthy one but also required to meet certain parameters. But when the organisers insisted he should make the commitment even if it is later not met to please the crowd, the CM stood up and left the venue saying it was not in his grain to befool the people and make false promises to them. “I will only promise what I can deliver,” he was heard saying. Later, in another tweet on micro-blogging site Tweeter he said, “My colleagues would be well advised to learn that I refuse to hold out false promises just to see a public meeting succeed.”