Jammu: Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana on Tuesday claimed that National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah offered unconditional support to the BJP for government formation in 2014 and even agreed for full term BJP chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rana, who was once a close confidant of Omar Abdullah before joining the BJP in October 2021, said the BJP leadership, however, rejected the proposal of the former chief minister.
“In 2014, when NC had 15 MLAs, Omar went to Delhi and met senior-most leaders of the BJP including Home Minister Amit Shah and also knocked the doors of RSS leaders, especially the then J&K in-charge, Ram Madhav. He offered unconditional support to the BJP for forming a government in J&K,” Rana, who has been fielded by the BJP from his pocket borough Nagrota in Jammu region, told reporters here.
Rana had won the Nagrota seat for National Conference in 2014 assembly elections.
“I also accompanied Omar that time and he (Omar) offered on the table unconditional support to the BJP for forming the government in J&K and also extended unconditional support for a full term chief minister of the BJP,” Rana said.
He said the BJP, however, rejected the proposal of Abdullah.
“After this rejection by the BJP, Omar repeatedly kept on approaching the BJP top leadership and also knocked the doors of RSS for government formation in J&K. NC wanted to be in power at any cost,” Rana claimed.
He said even after the death of PDP-patron and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2016, Omar again started approaching top BJP and RSS leaders at Delhi offering unconditional support to the BJP for government formation in J&K.
“(NC president) Farooq Abdullah was at Katra at that time and told Omar to meet BJP and RSS leaders in Delhi and offer unconditional support to BJP for forming government in J&K,” Rana said, adding, “the BJP rejected NC’s offer at that time also”.
The BJP and the PDP worked out a post poll alliance after the December 2014 Assembly elections as the erstwhile state threw up a hung House. The PDP had won 28 seats, the BJP 25, the NC 15 and the Congress 12 seats in the 87-member Assembly. Seven seats were won by smaller parties and independents. Two months after the elections, the PDP and the BJP formed a coalition government.
The sudden death of Sayeed in January 2016 resulted in Mehbooba Mufti becoming the first woman chief minister of J&K and she ruled the erstwhile state from April 4, 2016 to June 19, 2018 before the fall of the government following withdrawal of support by the BJP.
“Today Omar is saying that all political parties of Kashmir are part of BJP and are close to it whereas the reality is completely opposite. Now, you (Omar) are saying that Ram Madhav is close to PDP but the truth is that you repeatedly approached top BJP and RSS leaders for forming a government in J&K,” Rana said.
The BJP leader said Omar was the Union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government but “today he is saying that NC has nothing to do with the BJP. The NC is just trying to build a narrative by saying that it has nothing to do with BJP.”
Rana said rather than fooling the people, the NC should draw a future roadmap for the betterment of people.
He also took a dig at the NC manifesto and said it talks about releasing “jailed stone-pelters” which shows the regional party wants unrest back in Jammu and Kashmir.
