Abdullah said he was confident of his legislators and they won’t defect to any other party.

(This story originally appeared in on Jul 17, 2018)

Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister and Omar Abdullah on Monday said he was not scared of any third front emerging in the state and claimed that his party — the National Conference — was not like the PDP, whose strength “flowed from New Delhi”.

The National Conference vice-president said that state was passing through a tough phase and time was not right to conduct panchayat elections. He said rural and urban local bodies elections may have extreme repercussions of halting every other election process in the state in the future.

“Our strength doesn’t flow from New Delhi, but from Allah and people of the state. NC doesn’t fear and challenge everybody to fight us on the ground. We have fought and withstood many such betrayals,” Abdullah told workers at party headquarters here. He said he was confident of his legislators and they won’t defect to any other party.

“They are trying to sow the seeds of suspicion among us. We have survived many such attacks and conspiracies,” he said. Abdullah took a dig at People’s Democratic Party (PDP) saying that Mehbooba Mufti knows that her party cannot survive without New Delhi. “In 2002, PDP tried to break NC but failed. And we didn’t try to go to New Delhi even then. We are not scared,” he said.

Abdullah said that Mehbooba was a nationalist for BJP but now BJP men in Jammu are burning her effigies and similarly she was satisfied with the working of alliance with BJP but today she is threatening Delhi over any attempt to sprit PDP.

“Let me make it clear to Mehbooba Mufti that if PDP splits not even a single youth will take to militancy in revolt against the split in PDP,” he said.

The NC vice president said everyone has a right to seek the trust and faith of the people but subverting democracy through machinations and covert arrangements with the powers that be was a sin and a contempt to the aspirations of the people.

While referring to J&K Governor N N Vohra’s decision to conduct Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies elections, Abdullah said that situation was not right for elections and asking for vote at this time is unjustified.

“While human rights violations and killings are going on here, how can we ask for vote? We requested Governor earlier also that we cannot talk about elections till situation remains like this,” said Abdullah.

J&K Governor, the NC leader said, should take steps cautiously as this is not parliamentary or assembly elections and need a grass root participation. “May be by conducting Panchayat elections, we will push other processes to a level and repercussions would be such that that nobody will be ready for any future elections,” he said.

