By M.ASLAM
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on July 20 disclosed that he had met the All India Congress Committee (AICC) chairperson Sonia Gandhi 10-days ago conveying her that NC will not forge any pre-poll alliance with the state Congress 5 for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
Omar maintained further that NC patron and his father Dr Farooq Abdullah will not contest the assembly elections as his health does not allow him to fight the elctions. In an exclusive chat with Kashmir Magazine, the chief minister stated that he had a detailed meeting with Ms Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and had categorically told her that NC in no way will forge alliance with the Congress for the forthcoming assembly polls.
“The recent parliament polls suggested us that forging alliance with the Congress in no way will benefit NC. It is because the Congress votes in Valley during the recent parliamentary elections got transferred to PDP in- stead of National Conference its coalition partner,” Omar revealed to KNS. “I during my meet with Ms Gandhi, told her that I am not going to formally announce that Congress and NC is contesting upcoming assembly polls separately as I didn’t want to take political benefits out of that announcement,” Omar maintained. When asked whether the government would continue to function despite the coalition partners deciding to end alliance, chief min- ister maintained that the decision will have no affect on the functioning of the government and that the government will continue to run till the elections in the state are announced. “We have to understand that this coalition came into existence after the elections.
There will be no impact on the government function- ing and the coalition will continue to function till the assembly elections are announced in the state. Besides preparing for the coming elections, we will continue to run the state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir. Later we will present services before the people of Jammu and Kashmir.” Maintaining that NC from the day one was not willing to contest assembly elections jointly with the state Congress, Omar stated that if NC had any intension of entering into the pre poll pact with Congress, it would not have issued the list of the candidates in the recent past. “We issued the 1st list of the candidates prior to the announcement of Congress over not forging alliance with NC. We even nominated the candidates for the Jammu region.
The fact is that I already had informed Congress that keeping the experience of parliament elections in view, NC is not going to join hands with it for the assembly polls.” Omar remarked further that an ‘unusual’ hype was given to the issue with the state Congress leaders saying no to pre-poll. “My party leaders did not go to press and issued detailed state- ments over the issue. Congress did. Let they fight alone and we will fight alone.” The chief minister stated that during the recently held parliamentary polls in Jammu and Kashmir, national conference transferred the votes in the favor of Congress at Jammu region but contrary was witnessed in valley. “It is quite obvious; NC didn’t get the Con- gress votes in valley.
If votes would have been transferred, the situation today would have been different,” Omar told. Omar, however, refused to comment over the reports that the former chief minister and a senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad met the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. “I can- not comment anything over the issue,” said Omar. He added that if alliance ahead of polls would have been forged with the Congress, the same would have caused much damage to NC. “If the things of the past would have been repeated in the assembly elections, the same could have caused damage. Now both the parties will contest the elections separately.
Let us see who performs better. Good thing about the decision is that we would not witness further dam- age.” About the reports that NC president and patron Dr Farooq Abdullah is not contesting the forthcoming assembly elections in the state, Omar maintained that the health condition of his father is not allowing him to contest the assembly elections. “No Dr Sahib is not contesting this time. His health is not allowing him to contest the polls.” When asked about the reports that his party remains indecisive over the constituency where from he would contest, Omar stated that the list is coming to fore in the near future and that the people would come to know where from he would fight. “We should wait till the list comes out; only then people will come to know where from I am fighting.”