Srinagar, Apr 2: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are part of the INDIA alliance and PDP might refrain from fielding candidates against his party in Kashmir.
“We were together on the stage during the recent INDI Alliance meet (in New Delhi) and nobody has broken the alliance”, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah told media persons in Anantnag district.
He said Mehbooba Mufti hasn't so far shown any ‘inclination' to contest against the NC.
Omar pointed to a recent rally in Delhi where PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti reaffirmed PDP's allegiance to the INDI Alliance.
Asked if PDP announces its candidate in the three seats of Kashmir and that would divide the votes which will benefit BJP, the former JK Chief Minister said that ‘media would like to see such a situation'.
“Why are you trying to have our fight with PDP? Does PDP anywhere say that they are going to contest the elections”, he questioned.
The cracks between the two INDI Alliance partners are visible after NC on Monday fielded veteran Gujjar leader Main Altaf for the all important South Kashmir seat. The announcement in all likelihood has ended chances of a patch up for seat sharing with INDIA partner PDP.
When asked if the NC was contesting all three seats in Kashmir due to pressure from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids, the NC Vice President said that the decision was taken on the basis of having won the previous elections.
“No decision of seat sharing has been changed. For DDC polls, we took the 2014 assembly election results and wherever PDP had won, they contested the DDC polls and wherever NC had won, we got the opportunity. PC (Peoples Conference) was also with us then and they chose their candidate where they had won. We used the same formula here as well. Where does the ED come in this?” he asked.
Omar asked the media persons why they don't expose the emerging new alliances in Kashmir like “A team, B team and C team” of the BJP instead.
Regarding announcing the candidature of Mian Altaf from the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency who was an “outsider”, he said Mian Altaf belongs to Kashmir.
“He belongs to Rajouri-Poonch as he belongs to other parts of the Kashmir valley. If the Prime Minister belonging to Gujarat is contesting elections from Uttar Pradesh, why does the media channels not have any objection with that”, the former CM questioned and added “even candidates from south India being given tickets from north India to Rajya Sabha”.
Regarding the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, Omar said “not only the people, the powerful countries of the world have taken notice how the ruling dispensation is targeting the selected opposition leaders ahead of the Parliament Election in India”.
Kejriwal is the second Chief Minister who has been arrested recently, he said, adding, arresting a Chief Minister and using the agencies for it, is a “very dangerous situation for the democracy of the country”.
“The country will have to suffer the consequences of such a policy for a long time”, he declared.
“We hope the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India will never take such steps for granted rather will take appropriate measures to stop it”, Omar said.
