SRINAGAR: BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Ali Khatana slammed CM Omar Abdullah for not allotting government accommodation in the state capital and claimed that he is residing at his ancestral private residence in Jammu.
Khatana was reacting to a statement made by CM Omar on Tuesday that Khatana, despite representing the Union Territory in Rajya Sabha and residing in J&K, had spent more than 90 per cent of his MPLAD funds in Uttar Pradesh.
“He is an MP from J&K. He sits here. He has taken an official house here. He is an MP from J&K, but when it comes to CDF spending, he spends more than 90 per cent of it in UP,” Omar told reporters in Srinagar on Tuesday.
Responding to the CM's claim, Khatana in a post on X said, “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, you should not mislead the public by claiming that nominated Members of Parliament have been provided residential accommodation in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“I have not been allotted any government accommodation anywhere in Jammu and Kashmir. It is unfortunate that despite holding the Urban Development portfolio yourself, you deny the non-availability of such accommodation. This raises serious questions,” the MP alleged.
He said at present, he is residing in his ancestral private residence in Bathindi, Jammu, and “am not occupying any government accommodation.”
“For the past several years, I have been requesting residential accommodation in Srinagar to effectively discharge my parliamentary duties,” the BJP MP said.
“I have submitted written representations to the concerned Commissioner of the Housing Department seeking accommodation in Srinagar. Despite this, you continue to deny the facts and mislead the public.”
Khatana, a senior J&K BJP leader and prominent Gujjar face of the party, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in September 2022 at a time when Jammu and Kashmir had no representation in the Upper House due to the absence of an elected Assembly.
Khatana has allegedly spent a major share of his MLADS fund on developmental projects in UP, which has the highest number of parliament members in the country, rather than his home state of J&K.
The MP has so far been allocated Rs 14.70 crore MPLADS funds; of that, 12.59 crores have been utilised.
Out of 176 developmental works sanctioned by MP Khatana under MPLADS, 144 projects (83%) were carried out in UP, while only 32 developmental works were undertaken in J&K--17 in Jammu district, six each in Samba and Poonch, two in Rajouri and one in Kathua.
According to the figures, Khatana allocated Rs 10.58 crores (94%) to five associations for carrying out developmental activities in Uttar Pradesh as against Rs 94 lakh for Jammu and Kashmir.
Arambagh Enterprises was the largest single recipient, receiving approximately Rs 5.29 crore. A significant concentration of works was reported in Pratapgarh district.
Khatana’s MPLADS funds flow to UP has drawn sharp criticism from the ruling National Conference and opposition PDP and other parties in J&K.