Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): In another setback to the INDIA opposition bloc ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday February 15 said that his party will contest upcoming Parliament polls "on its own strength" in the union territory.
"As far as seat sharing in upcoming Parliament elections is concerned, I want to make it clear that the National Conference will contest elections on its own strength; there are no two opinions about it," Farooq told reporters at his party office in Srinagar. Farooq asked reporters not to ask further questions on seat sharing.
The stand by the NC, a leading party in Jammu and Kashmir with regard to the Lok Sabha elections is seen as a setback to the hopes of PDP and Congress who wanted an alliance on five seats of Jammu and Kashmir to give a strong contest to ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. NC and PDP are parties to the INDIA alliance formed by Congress with the purpose of contesting upcoming parliament elections together.
NC leaders Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti had attended all the meetings of the INDIA alliance. However, Farooq's assertion is a blow to the alliance in Jammu and Kashmir where BJP is hoping to win two seats in Jammu and Anantnag-Rajouri seat which has majority Muslim voters.
Before Farooq, AAP president Arvind Kejriwal, Janata Dal United president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar bid goodbye to the INDIA alliance. Miffed by Farooq's assertion on not entering an alliance with Congress and PDP, a PDP leader told ETV Bharat that National Conference "preference has always been power rather than the interests of Jammu and Kashmir people."
"An alliance of secular parties in Jammu and Kashmir was for the best interests of the people across regions. But NC has always preferred power over people's interests," the leader said, requesting anonymity. PDP wanted alliance with NC on Anantnag-Rajouri seat where its president Mehbooba Mufti is slated to contest elections.
While the party wanted NC to contest on Srinagar and Kupwara seats in alliance with PDP; Congress wanted NC and PDP's support on two seats of Jammu and would have left Srinagar, Kupwara for NC. On the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the electoral bond system, Farooq Abdullah welcomed the decision and said that the ruling party should now show its bonds to the public.
On farmers' protests, he said that the government should talk to the protesting farmers and resolve their grievances and address their apprehensions about the MSP and other laws.
