Srinagar, Apr 14: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Sunday accused the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) of dividing secular votes to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While campaigning for Choudhary Lal Singh, the INDIA bloc candidate, in the Ramban district, Omar also accused the BJP of disrupting communal harmony and alleged that DPAP is aiding the saffron party by dividing secular votes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lal Singh of the Congress party is contesting against BJP’s Jitendra Singh in the Udhampur-Kathua constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on April 19. DPAP’s G M Saroori is also competing, among others.
During the roadshow, the NC leader highlighted the contrast between ideologies that spread hatred and those that promote unity and peace.
He emphasized the importance of voting wisely, as it will affect the next five years. He accused Azad of collaborating with the BJP to split votes in the Chenab Valley by fielding a candidate from DPAP.
Abdullah expressed disappointment with Azad, who was supported by the National Conference in the past, including for his entry into the Rajya Sabha. Azad left the Congress in 2022, criticising its leadership and later established DPAP.
Omar Abdullah remarked that Azad, once a leader of national stature, has now limited himself to a single constituency. He urged voters to support the Congress symbol, the hand, warning that votes for other symbols would inadvertently support BJP, which he blames for the division of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories and the erosion of its identity and constitutional rights.
The NC Vice President mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent promise to bring back the local government and state status to Jammu and Kashmir. He pointed out that the Supreme Court had already set a deadline for elections, so Modi’s promise isn’t really a special favour to the people.
He said the local assembly was closed down in 2018, and since then, there’s been a call for elections to bring back democratic rule. He criticised the BJP for removing Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and said giving it back is not something extraordinary.
Abdullah questioned the BJP’s achievements and new initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir over the last decade. He credited the previous UPA government, led by Manmohan Singh, for starting the expansion of the Jammu-Srinagar highway and the railway project that would link Kashmir to other parts of India.
