Jammu: Asserting that there was no time limit attached to the INDIA bloc, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday expressed dismay over the lack of clarity regarding its leadership and agenda, saying the alliance should be wound up if it was meant only for the parliamentary elections.
Abdullah said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and other political parties on the ground will decide how to effectively compete with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“After the Assembly elections in Delhi, they should call all the alliance members for a meeting. If this alliance was only for the parliamentary elections, it should be wound up, and we will work separately. But if it is meant for Assembly elections as well, we will have to sit together and work collectively,” Abdullah told reporters here.
The National Conference leader was replying to a question about an RJD leader’s statement that the INDIA bloc was meant only for Lok Sabha elections.
“As far as I remember, no time limit was set for this. The issue is that no meeting of the INDIA bloc is being convened,” he said.
Claiming that there is no clarity regarding the main leadership, the party, or the agenda for future strategy (in the INDIA bloc), he said, “Whether this alliance will continue is also unclear.”
Abdullah also said that perhaps the members of the INDIA bloc will be called for a meeting after the Delhi elections, and a clarity would emerge.
Replying to another query on increasing support for AAP ahead of next month’s Delhi elections, Abdullah said, “I cannot say anything about this at the moment because we have no involvement with Delhi polls. The Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, and other political parties on the ground will decide how to compete with the BJP strongly.”
Stating that AAP succeeded twice in Delhi previously, Abdullah said, “This time, we will have to wait and see what the people of Delhi decide.”
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly convened an orientation programme here on Thursday for the newly-elected legislators.
“Many of us have been members of this House before, but that was when Jammu and Kashmir was a state. The system is different today. We need to understand how we are going to work and what the powers of this Assembly are,” Abdullah said.
The chief minister also said that to familiarise everyone with the procedures of this system, the Speaker has organised the orientation programme.
“The deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha also participated in this exercise. I believe the experience of the senior members will prove beneficial. In the upcoming sessions, the MLAs will represent the people better and raise their issues effectively,” he added.
