In an interview with News18, National Conference Vice Chairman Omar Abdullah said that a split within the PDP following the collapse of the PDPD-BJP coalition was possible.
He stated that there was a possibility of a pressure group being formed in the former ruling party which would prefer to ally with the BJP, cognizant of how similar events had made Mehbooba Mufti choose the position she was in today, after the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the then president of the party.
Omar Abdullah gave the statement in response to BJP leader Kavinder Gupta’s statement that the party was ‘wroking on something’ for the future of JK.
“When one party loses an election, the leaders resign to their inevitable fate, but the swiftness with which the BJP felled the government, many leaders in the PDP were taken by surprise and could decide to go the other way,” he said.
On being inquired about whether NC would take the reins after being approached by a number of legislators, he said, “We did not have the mandate in 2014 and we do not have it in 2018.”
Omar in a tweet also alleged that the divorce between PDP and BJP is a ‘brilliant fixed match’.
The PDP & BJP have been watching Bollywood movies for political strategy. This is how they have crafted their “divorce”. Brilliant fixed match, scripted to perfection except the audience aren’t fools & neither are the rest of us 😀 pic.twitter.com/82854aFHWM
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 20, 2018
He also stressed upon the immediate dissolution of the JK General Assembly to prevent ‘any attempts of horse-trading’ by the BJP. He agreed for N.N Vohra to continue on as the current and future Governor as he was a ‘politically neutral man’ and that ‘there was no reason to change’.
In response to his ‘horse-trading’comment, BJP leader Ram Madhav fired back, saying, “Why is he (Omar Abdullah) so scared? I’m sure his party men are loyal to him. There is no question of horse-trading from our side. We’ve seen what kind of horse-trading happened in Jammu and Kashmir under his party (Jammu and Kashmir National Conference), nobody should forget the history. He (Omar) should think of his own party and numbers.”
Omar responded by saying that if Madhav is confident that there is no horse trading then why the assembly shouldn’t be dissolved.
Then why not dissolve the assembly? If @rammadhavbjp is true to his word that there is no question of horse trading & clearly no new alliances are being formed then the assembly should be dissolved. Keeping it suspended has encouraged dalals. https://t.co/HOg57SNoVE
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 21, 2018
The PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed on Tuesday, citing security concerns and rising militant activity in the valley, after which Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti submitted her resignation. The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind had given his approval of immediate Governor’s Rule in JK, following the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition.