Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Sept 7: Former Chief Minister and vice president of the National Conference, Omar Abdullah, today alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is covertly collaborating with some regional parties and independent candidates to form Government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks, Omar alleged that Shah’s omission of several parties-including the Apni Party, the People’s Conference, and Engineer Rasheed’s AIP-from his list of groups with which the BJP would not partner suggests potential covert negotiations and deals by the BJP.
“During a press conference in Jammu yesterday, he (Amit Shah) was listing the parties with whom he would not form a Government. Several parties were left unmentioned, including Independent candidates standing against me. He did not mention the Apni Party or the People’s Conference, and I noticed he did not even mention Engineer Rasheed’s party (AIP). This suggests that if the BJP wishes, they could form a Government with these groups. That is when I began to suspect something fishy,” he said.
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The former Chief Minister said that the BJP has made it clear that if they fall short of seats, they will ally with these Independent candidates. “This shows there is no difference between the BJP and these Independents,” he said.
He questioned whether the people should ignore the plight of Muslims in other parts of the country. “In UP, mosques, madrasas and religious schools are being locked. People are prevented from praying, and police officers assault those who try to offer prayers on Fridays. In Karnataka, our sisters and daughters are forced to remove their hijabs to enter schools. In UP and elsewhere, shopkeepers are forced to display their names so people avoid accidentally buying from Muslim shopkeepers. Is this the situation we want in Jammu and Kashmir? No. But this is the BJP’s firm intention,” he said.
Omar emphasized that Independent candidates will not address people’s demands and are only there to divide votes. “The promises we made to you-regarding unemployment, new administrative units, schools and colleges-cannot be fulfilled by these Independents,” he said.
Highlighting rising electricity bills, the NC leader noted: “During our Government, your bill was 250, 300, or 350 rupees. Today, it is 1,650 rupees, and for most households, it is not less than Rs 2,000. Will these Independent candidates reduce your bills? They will not.” He added that the National Conference has promised 200 units of free electricity to every household and 12 gas cylinders a year in its manifesto.
Omar also accused the Central Government of conspiring against him. “Those fighting from jail are only doing so to target me, and it is all part of a conspiracy by the Central Government to defeat me. Why? Because we address your emotions, your demands and your problems. We do not negotiate with them,” he said.
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