Srinagar: Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, National Conference Vice President, Omar Abdullah mapped out the development that took place leading to the culmination of forming an alliance with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress (JKPC) and the abrupt dissolution of the region’s assembly.
Following with the alliance between PDP and BJP that broke off in June, Omar stated that efforts for the dissolution of assembly and subsequent elections went underway. The ‘uncertainty’ of the situation, pressure on the regional parties, talks of a ‘third front’ and toughening the stance on the region were some instances Omar spoke about in the conference.
He stated how talks had emerged of the now open alliance between the three regional parties. He reiterated the efforts having been made towards fresh elections and added that the party had not made such a stance on the alliance as of then.
Observing the ‘attacks’ on Article 35A of Constitution of India in the Supreme Court which weakened its significance, he said that the communal harmony of the region was being disturbed.
He said that in the subsequent months, the people and the state of Kashmir had been ‘villified and demonized’ all around the world, leading to growing threats of Kashmiri students studying in India or abroad.
Omar said that talks were initiated between NC and PDP following the incidents, in which he told them that ‘to rule was not the aim of the party’. He said that NC leader Farooq Abdullah had been asked to serve as CM which he turned down on the spot.
He added that he, too, had rejected the offer for the CM post during the talks, conditioning it on the choices of the people, in future elections. He clarified that his party had stated that they would provide support for a new government.
He said that his party’s agenda was for the full defense of Article 35A, following which a proposal would be submitted to the Governor Satya Pal Malik for the dissolution of the assembly, which would initiate elections and bring in a new government.
He said that during this time, there were talks of another alliance that would stake their claim, which led PDP, after discussing with NC, to send an official letter to the Raj Bhavan ‘which never reached’, he said.
“A lot of things have interrupted the process of democracy, but this the first time that a fax machine has been the cause,” he said with undertones of incredulity.
He said that this fax machine has become the new political player in the region.
Commenting on the order issued by the Governor in which he had listed the impossibility of diverse political parties to group together, Omar rebuffed the order’s statement of ‘horse-trading’, saying that they were three regional parties and that such a claim did not apply to them.
He further said that the Governor’s reports were serious and that if all of the listed reasons in the order were true, the reports be made public.
Speaking about senior BJP leader Ram Madhav’s retort on NC and PDP that they had formed a government ‘probably’ due to fresh instructions ‘from across the border’, he challenged Madhav on providing proof in instances where the parties worked according to Pakistan’s commands.
“It’s unfortunate that a senior BJP leader has said we have got instructions from Pakistan. I challenge Ram Madhav sahib & his associates to prove this with evidence. You are disrespecting sacrifices of my colleagues who refused to dance at Pakistan’s instructions and died,” he said.
This occurs after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav Thursday stated that the mainstream regional parties- National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party- had boycotted the local municipal polls because ‘they had fresh instruction from across the border’, ANI reported.
Speaking on the immediate dissolution of the region’s assembly by JK Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday night following the regional parties’ alliance staking claim to form the government, Madhav said that the parties’ ‘probably’ had instructions ‘from across the border’ to form the government which ‘prompted Guv to look into the whole issue’.
In a sharp response, Omar Abdullah, the vice President of National Conference party, calling the move ‘shoot and scoot politics’ had dared Madhav to prove his allegation. On Twitter, he had written: “I dare you @rammadhavbjp ji to prove your allegation. You have RAW, NIA & IB at your command (CBI too is your parrot) so have the guts to place evidence in the public domain. Either prove this or be man enough to apologise. Don’t practice shoot & scoot politics.”
During the question-answer session of the press conference, Omar stated that legally, they did not have a case to make.
“As I don’t have a document on which to claim Guv ignored what we had to say. My conversation was with PDP. It’s for PDP to decide whether it wants to take legal recourse.I didn’t provide documentary support,” he said.
Legally,we don't have case to make. As I don't have a document on which to claim Guv ignored what we had to say. My conversation was with PDP. It's for PDP to decide whether it wants to take legal recourse.I didn't provide documentary support: O Abdullah on J&K assembly dissolved pic.twitter.com/wltKrto8Cg
— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2018
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday night dissolved the region’s assembly with immediate effect, minutes after former Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti wrote to the Governor staking claim to form the government.
Mehbooba Mufti, President of the Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had tweeted that she had been trying to send the letter to the Governor, staking claim to form the government, and added that the office was not receiving the Fax.
Following the dissolution, Omar questioned the timing. “JKNC has been pressing for assembly dissolution for 5 months now. It can’t be a coincidence that within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba letter staking claim the order to dissolve the assembly suddenly appears,” he wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, Senior PDP leader Altaf Bukhari had said that the senior leaders of the National Conference, PDP and the Congress have agreed to make an alliance in order to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Bukhari, according to reports, was emerging as the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance, however he said that right now he dosen’t know anything beyond the fact that an alliance has been agreed upon to protect the special status of the state.
He also informed that an official announcement regarding the alliance will be made in one or two days.
Earlier, Senior Congress Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had confirmed that talks between the three parties are already going on.
While speaking to Free Press Kashmir, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president G.A. Mir had said that he had no information about the meeting, however, he is not against the idea, “given the way communal forces have/ are planning to execute venomous ideas in the state.”
“If, on a national level, like minded people are putting forward their ideas, making it a role model and turning it into one single voice to fight against communal forces, won’t be wrong,” said Mir adding, “The naked-dance BJP has been performing and plans on doing here are evident by the way situation has turned tense here for last 4 years.”
The development happened a day after PDP heavy weight Muzaffar Hussain Baig said that he was ready to join a ‘third front’ if it emerges in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the BJP has said that the three have come together on directions of Pakistan.
In a hurriedly called press conference in Jammu at the BJP headquarters, in reaction to the alliance, BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said, “These parties are coming together to form government on directions of Pakistan just to keep BJP away.”