Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and vice-president of National Conference Omar Abdullah Sunday said his party is fighting elections against the Congress in the state, despite the two parties having announced an alliance for the ongoing parliamentary elections.
The NC has not fielded any candidate on any of the two seats from Jammu province and in turn Congress party has not fielded anyone from the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.
In Anantnag and Baramulla both parties fielded candidates ina ‘friendly contest’.
However, NC candidate for Baramulla during his campaigningmaintained that there was no friendly contest with Congress. Now, Omar Abdullahhas echoed the same.
“We are fighting against the Congress here,” Omar told mediapersons on the sidelines of the workers meet in remote Larnoo village ofKokernag.
He said NC’s stand on the special status of J&K wasclear. “We are for restoration of autonomy in the state to its pre-1953position. If anyone has any issue with that we can’t help,” Abdullah said onbeing asked to respond to Congress saying that 1975 Indira-Sheikh accord was final,leaving no scope for further concessions like bringing back PM and Presidentposts for J&K.
Abdullah slammed Prime Minister NarendraModi’s remarks thatthe two dynasties of Abdullahs and Muftis have “ruined” three generations inthe state.
“If he sought votes for keeping two dynasties out of powerthen why was he more than happy in handing over the chair of CM to MuftiMohammad Sayeed and then to his daughter Mehbooba Mufti,” Abdullah said.
“There is a clear difference between his (Modi’s) words and deeds.”
During his address Abdullah castigated PDP for eroding thespecial status of J&K by bringing in laws like GST and SARFAESI Act.
He appealed workers to vote for the party candidateHassnainMasoodi.
Earlier, slamming Modi’s remarks at a public rally inKathua, Omar shared a picture of Peoples Democratic Party founder MuftiMuhammad Sayeed and Modi hugging each other after cobbling an alliance in 2015on his Twitter account.
“This is how muchModiji believes what he says. Look how happy he is to seal an alliance with oneof the families he wants to rid J&K politics of,” he said, sharing thepicture. “We have to rid J&K ofthese two political families”, says ModiJi in 2014 & then promptlygoes and makes not one but TWO members of the Mufti family CM of J&K. In2019 ModiJi says ‘we have to rid J&K of these two political families’.Another jumlaModiji?” the former chief minister tweeted.