Omar speaks out on Budgam clashes, condemns vote bank politics

Srinagar: Breaking his silence on the  fortnight-old sectarian clashes in Budgam district, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said people who fuel these incidents do it for vote bank politics. “Elements behind these (sectarian) tensions expand their activities as soon as elections draw nearer. They want to polarise the society, create conflicts between various sections, sects, faiths, regions and castes keeping eye on votes,” Omar told a civil society group. Majlis-e-Tahfuz-e-Itihaad (MTI) is a group constituted by the civil society recently to pacify the tension in some villages of Budgam hit by sectarian clashes on July 19 and nurture brotherhood between Shia and Sunni communities. [caption id=“attachment_1009273” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Omar Abdullah. AFP[/caption] The Chief Minister condemned such acts which divide the society on sectarian and communal lines. While cautioning about the nefarious designs of the elements behind the sectarian clashes, Omar announced one month’s free ration for the families affected in the incident. The Chief Minister told the delegation led by MTI Chief Coordinator Agha Syed Mujtaba that Divisional Commissioner Kashmir will be Nodal Officer for assessing the damages caused to various families in the clashes so that a comprehensive programme is launched for their rehabilitation. PTI