The Congress' central leadership came out in support of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday, with party general-secretary Digvijay Singh saying there was nothing wrong in Mr. Abdullah saying he was not a “Centre's puppet.”
“What should he say? Should he say he is a puppet? After all, he is the elected Chief Minister of the State,” said Mr. Singh when asked to react to Mr. Abdullah's statement.
Mr. Abdullah's remarks had apparently upset the Union Home Ministry, especially as he had made evident his disapproval of Home Secretary G.K. Pillai announcing the lifting of curfew in the Kashmir Valley, a move which he felt undermined the institutions of the State.
To another query whether the Chief Minister's statement should be read as being opposed to the policies of the Centre, Mr. Singh said, “He is the Chief Minister of a State. He should not allow the message to go that he is weak and unnecessarily harassed and interfered with. There is an importance of the Chief Minister in a federal system. He has his own existence.”
Mr. Abdullah on Wednesday said in the Assembly that neither he nor any member of his Council of Ministers was acting as a puppet of the Centre, while responding to charges levelled by the Opposition.
