Jammu, Sept 03: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devender Rana on Tuesday accused the former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah of knocking on the doors of top BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders in Delhi in 2014 to form a government with the party.
Rana, who made the allegations during a press conference here, claimed that Omar – the Vice President of National Conference – had offered unconditional support to the BJP for a full term Chief Minister in Jammu & Kashmir.
“Today, Omar Abdullah is accusing all political parties in Kashmir of being close to the BJP, while the reality is the complete opposite,” Rana said, adding, “Omar is now saying that Ram Madhav is close to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but the truth is that he repeatedly approached top BJP and RSS leaders to form a government in J&K.”
Rana, a former leader of NC, reminded Abdullah that he had served as a Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, yet now claims that the National Conference has no ties with the BJP.
The reality is that NC has had close ties with the BJP in the past, and Omar’s current claims are an attempt to cover up his own history, he said.
“In 2014, when the NC had 15 MLAs, Omar went to Delhi, met senior BJP leaders, and even approached RSS leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and the then J&K in-charge, Ram Madhav. He offered unconditional support to the BJP to form a government in J&K and extended support for a full-term BJP Chief Minister,” the BJP leader said. “I accompanied Omar at the time, and he made these offers directly to the BJP.”
Rana asserted that the BJP rejected Omar Abdullah’s proposal. However, according to him, the former CM continued to approach top BJP leaders and RSS figures in a bid to form a government in J&K.
Devender further alleged that after the death of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Omar Abdullah renewed his efforts to seek BJP support. “Farooq Abdullah was in Katra at that time and instructed Omar to meet BJP and RSS leaders in Delhi and offer unconditional support, but the BJP rejected NC’s offer again,” he said.
Rana also accused the NC of advocating for the release of jailed stone-pelters and suggested that the party sought unrest in J&K.
The accusations come as a surprise given Rana’s own past affiliation with NC. Omar has not publicly responded to Rana’s allegations.
