Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Days after the Election Commission of India announced the dates of much delayed Assembly Election in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference on Monday ruled out alliance with the BJP in case the election throws a hung mandate.
“We are not taking that path or are thinking on those lines,” NC Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in reply to a question on the sidelines of releasing the election manifesto titled 'Dignity, Identity, Development'.
The NC, in its manifesto promised to restore Article 370 abrogated by the BJP government at the Centre, protect land rights of the residents besides striving for the autonomy resolution passed by the erstwhile state assembly in 2000, and other freebies.
Releasing the manifesto at the party headquarters in Srinagar, said that the party was “surprised that people across from Jammu and Kashmir gave through emails and messages their suggestions about the manifesto”.
“We discussed those suggestions and tried to include them in the manifesto”.
“This is not only manifesto but an agenda of the party about government. This manifesto will be unlike the manifesto of those parties which called for Badlaav and agenda. But a manifesto which will be worked upon after the NC forms the government,” Omar added in an apparent dig at the PDP over the latter's alliance with the BJP in 2014 which culminated in the saffron party withdrawing from the coalition in 2018 and the subsequent abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
