Srinagar: Defending the National Conference’s (NC) pre-poll alliance with Congress for J&K Assembly elections, former chief minister Omar Abdullah emphasised that the alliance aims to provide voters with a clear alternative to prevent a hung assembly.
“We could have opted for a post-poll alliance, but forming this alliance before the elections ensures that voters know a government can be established without uncertainty,” he stated during a shikara rally on Dal Lake in support of party candidate Tanvir Sadiq.
Under the pre-poll arrangement, the NC is contesting 51 seats, the Congress 32, and the CPM one, while the remaining six seats will witness a "friendly contest" between the two parties.
Regarding the upcoming visit of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to Kashmir, Omar remarked, “I hope he visits more frequently to challenge the BJP leadership. The Prime Minister has been here twice, and the home minister three times; even the Defence Minister makes frequent visits.”
He alleged that the BJP wants a hung assembly to justify extending the lieutenant governor's rule, asserting, “The people will not allow this to happen.”
Commenting on the absence of top BJP leaders campaigning in Kashmir compared to Jammu, he said, “The BJP has little support here and is unlikely to gain anything. We are well aware of their stance towards Muslims.”
Omar highlighted the lack of Muslim representation in the BJP led central government. "16% of the population of the country is Muslim and they (BJP leaders) could not find even one who would be good enough to be made a minister at the Centre,” he said.
In a jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he criticized their focus on the “rule of three families” in Jammu and Kashmir as a distraction from their administration's shortcomings.
"Jammu and Kashmir has seen no progress in the last five years. The BJP has nothing to show, which is why they resort to targeting these families. If they had achieved anything, they wouldn’t need to do this,” he added.
Published 22 September 2024, 13:25 IST