Srinagar:
It was a stormy session of the J&K Assembly on Wednesday as the Opposition demanded answers from the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on the civilian unrest in the Valley.
In his reply to the two-day debate, Omar, who has faced severe criticism for his handling of the situation, tried to reassert his authority. He launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing Delhi of overriding his authority.
He specifically targeted the Home Secretary for personally announcing the relaxation of curfew in Srinagar back in July and was miffed that the eight-point Kashmir peace initiative included the reopening of schools, something that was already announced by his administration.
"After our meeting in an eight-point programme, it was announced that the schools will be opened. It leaves an impression again that we are a puppet government and they have a remote control in their hands. When they say that the schools should be opened, we open them and when we say that the schools should be shut, they are shut. We want to be with the government of India to improve the condition of Kashmir, but whoever is present here with me I must say that we are not their remote control or puppet," Omar said.
In Delhi, Omar Abdullah's ally - the Congress - refused to comment but Home Ministry sources said the chief minister had been briefed on all eight-points of the peace package.
For the last four months, critics have been asking who is in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir. Today, Omar tried to answer some of those serious questions but the real test of Omar is whether he will be able to translate his promises in the Assembly into reality on the ground.