Ganderbal/Srinagar: National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday asked people to vote wisely after MP Engineer Rashid said he has not closed his doors on any party including the BJP in case the saffron party might need his support for government formation.
In an interview to a private TV channel, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was asked if there was any scope for his Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) to ally with the BJP.
Rashid said if such a situation comes, his doors are not shut for anyone. “We will see at that time what the situation is,” he said.
Abdullah said, “Let Rashid first answer to what he has said. He has openly said that his doors are open for the BJP if it needs MLAs after October 8.
“If Rashid is contesting the election to help the BJP, then the people of J&K should use their vote with caution because I have been saying this, and thankfully Rashid has acknowledged it, that such candidates are contesting to divide the vote and cause damage to the NC,” Abdullah told reporters here.
The NC leader is contesting the assembly polls from Ganderbal which is considered the party’s bastion and family stronghold. He is also contesting from Budgam.
The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir said, “God willing, on October 8, it will be proven that Rashid tried to take votes in the name of sympathy, but he did not get the votes.”
Abdullah said for the AIP chief, even the BJP is a like-minded party now.
“You have to ask Rashid because he is ready to help the BJP. So for him the BJP is also like-minded and so is JeI. Only Engineer can make us understand as I have not understood his politics so far,” the NC leader added.
The AIP forged an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) on Monday.
Abdullah also hit out at J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s call for stricter laws to prevent organisations like JeI from participating in elections, saying after the results of assembly polls are declared, the LG will have no right to frame laws.
“Why have you woken up today, LG sahib? Which law can you use against them? They are contesting as Independent candidates.
“Will you not let them contest as Independent candidates? Their organisation is already banned. They are not in the fray in the name of their organisation,” he said.
Abdullah said in any case, the LG will not have any right to frame laws in J&K after the elections as there will be a government elected by the people and that will decide who will contest or not.
The NC leader said it should be political parties like his who should complain as “they (JeI) are contesting against us”.
“We are not making any such demand. Why is LG doing it? What problem does he have?” he asked.
Separately, Omar expressed hope that voters in Jammu and Kashmir would avoid “fragmentation of their votes”, warning that many independent candidates in the Valley were contesting with the aim to divide the ballot.
“People will have to keep it (a huge number of independent candidates contesting) in mind, because most of these candidates are in Kashmir. It seems it is an attempt to fragment votes and divide people.
“I hope the voters will remain cautious of these and avoid fragmentation of their votes in this election,” Abdullah told PTI Videos here.
The NC leader also said he is hopeful that people will vote in favour of the NC-Congress alliance.
“We are hoping that the vote will be in favour of the candidates of the NC-Congress alliance which a CPI(M) member is also a part of, but it is the voters who will decide. We have tried to take our agenda for J&K for the next five years to the voters, let us see what happens,” he said.
The former chief minister said the assembly elections, which are being held here after 10 years, are very important.
“The more we talk about the importance of these polls, the less it will be. They are happening after 10 years and a lot has changed in these 10 years. Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two, Ladakh was separated from us, we were granted a UT status even as we fail to understand how it benefited us.
“We have not forgotten what happened with Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, so it is a very important election in all respects,” he said.
When asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally here on Thursday would have any impact on the polls, Abdullah said there would not be any such impact in the Kashmir valley.
“Nothing in Kashmir. It will be a huge thing if the BJP can give a tough fight on a single seat in Kashmir. The election will be incomplete without the PM’s visit to Kashmir, but it will not make a difference on the seats here,” he said.
To a question about Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that even as NC and PDP have promised restoration of Article 370 in their manifestos, the BJP government at the Centre will not allow that, the NC vice-president said many issues do not need the government’s approval.
“We know whose government is there, but why is there a need to threaten us? There are some things which do not need the government’s approval, like this election. This election is not taking place because the government wanted to conduct them. Had it been up to them, we would not have got this election.
“This election is taking place because of the Supreme Court’s order. The SC ordered elections to be conducted before September 30 and that is why they are being conducted. If the Centre does not do the other things, then we can have them through the SC,” he added.
On Congress leader Viqar Rasool Wani’s allegation of an assault by NC workers in Banihal, Abdullah said “people say a lot in frustration”.
“Wani seems to be highly frustrated. The election is over. He should sit silent and wait for October 8 when the decision of the people will be in front of us,” he said.
Abdullah said Wani’s own party has not liked his statements. The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president has issued a statement against him, he said.
The NC and the Congress have stitched a pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections, but the parties are contesting Banihal and four other seats as a friendly contest.
Wani is pitted against NC’s Sajad Shaheen in Banihal. (With inputs from PTI)
