Anantnag, May 15: Former chief minister and National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday revealed that he approached the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti for talks in Mumbai and Delhi, alleging that she insisted on discussing matters back in Kashmir but didn’t follow through. He further alleged that she had intentions to contest separately.
Dr Farooq was addressing the media persons at the party convention in the Shangus area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
When asked about Mehbooba’s allegation that she was provoked to fight elections separately, the NC chief said, “Does Dr Farooq Abdullah have that much power to provoke her? I personally made it clear when she was on the Bombay stage. I told her we will talk after the programme concluded, but she said we will talk in Kashmir and then we didn’t talk. Then in Delhi, she again said we will talk in Kashmir. She was having intentions to contest but she forgot her past.”
The former CM also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to divide the nation for his chair. “Unfortunately, chairs don’t stay, nations survive. What nation is he trying to create will be destructive,” he said.
In response to the question of whether he was playing a religious card, Dr Farooq denied it, saying. “I am reminding people what we are and what we should do. Our religion teaches us good things and no religion is bad. It is people who are bad and use it badly. What’s Modi doing? Does he not go to the Ram Mandir and stay there, what is he trying to show? Is he not creating that disturbance and that hatred? Is Ram only for Hindus, Ram is not only for Hindus, Ram is Vishwa Ram – he belongs to all. He (Modi) wants to make him only theirs and that’s not true.”
