Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma Accuses Omar Abdullah of Betraying Mandate Over Land Grants Bill

JAMMU April 1, 2026 — Sunil Sharma, the Leader of Opposition in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly, has issued a sharp critique of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the National Conference (NC) government, accusing them of a “brazen betrayal” of the public mandate.

Sharma’s allegations center on the government’s support for a private member’s bill intended to amend the Land Grants Act, a move he claims is designed specifically to protect the vested interests of an elite “cocktail-circuit” rather than the general populace.

He argued that the swiftness with which the Chief Minister permitted the bill’s introduction exposes a calculated effort to reopen the doors for re-leasing prime government land at negligible rates to influential individuals.

Highlighting what he termed a pattern of rewarding the well-connected, Sharma suggested that the mandate given by the voters is being weaponized to safeguard personal properties and the assets of a privileged few.

The opposition leader further intensified his attack by labeling the current administration’s approach as “governance for the elite, by the elite,” specifically citing the Chief Minister’s own properties as beneficiaries of such policy shifts.

Sharma questioned the moral foundation of the government’s actions, asking what message it sends to the common citizens when their votes are allegedly misused to empower a wealthy minority at the expense of public resources.

He described the move as deeply alarming and a significant erosion of democratic accountability that weakens public trust in the state’s institutions.

Concluding his statement, Sharma asserted that the people of Jammu & Kashmir deserve a transparent and fair administration that serves the marginalized and protects public assets, rather than one that enables and patronizes those who have historically benefited at the cost of the poor.