Srinagar, Feb 15 (UNI) Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the party continues to remain a member of the INDIA alliance and no door, no window, not even a crack is open for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“National Conference was a member of the INDIA alliance, and we continue to be a member of the alliance,” Omar told reporters in Srinagar.
The former chief minister said that the NC is not the sort of party that keeps their feet in multiple boats.
“Once we make friends we stick to those friends. I am not sure how the journalist arrived at the conclusion that our doors are open for the NDA because they are not. I want to make it categorically clear that no door, no window, not even a crack is open for the NDA,” he asserted.
The NC vice president said their entire objective of fighting the Parliament election first is to get seats back from BJP and as and when Assembly elections are announced the aim will be to come back in the Assembly with a sizeable number so that they can start undo the damage the BJP has done to J&K since 2019.
“To undo the damage we can obviously not be a part of the NDA. And our entire campaign at that time when the assembly election happens will be to target the BJP for everything they have done to J&K. So to suggest that we are going with NDA it is wrong, lie and baseless,” Omar said, adding that “conspiracies are hatched and statements are presented in a distorted manner to weaken the party.”
Omar said the party is in informal talks with the Congress for an arrangement in three of the six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
He said Farooq Abdullah’s comment on seat sharing with the INDIA alliance and going alone in the forthcoming Parliament elections was also taken out of context.
Omar said that NC has been very clear for the last few months that out of the six seats of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, three seats in the valley are already with INDIA Alliance.
“Therefore the seats that will be discussed are those that are held with BJP, we are firm on that position. What the Party chief Farooq Abdullah said was a reflection of what the party cadre feels. NC has made no secrets about the fact that they would rather fight elections on all seats, but the truth is that sometimes for a bigger objective, small sacrifices have to be made,” Omar said.
“ If the bigger objective is to win seats back from the BJP , Jammu, Udhampur and Ladkah, then if it is necessary for NC to enter into seat sharing with Congress, our doors are open. We have not yet had any formal discussion with Congress (on seat sharing), but informally some dialogues have taken place. I would like very clear that our commitment to the (INAIA) alliance remains even though founding members of the alliance unfortunately have over the last few weeks have left. We are not among those who are leaving, We will continue our discussions with the Congress and we hope to arrive at a seat sharing understanding on that,” he added.
