Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Friday said the BJP has decided not to field a candidate in Kashmir “but has not left the field open and is helping others in the Valley”.
“The BJP has not left the field open. Some parties are being helped behind the scenes by the BJP. People need to know who is playing this game here. It will be known who is conniving with whom and who is involved in conspiracies against J&K, weakening the voice here and helping BJP to succeed,” Mr. Abdullah said in Srinagar.
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent statement that the BJP wants to win hearts first in Kashmir valley, Mr. Abdullah said, “In the 2019 polls, the BJP had fielded its candidates from all the seats (in Kashmir). The Home Minister talks about ‘winning the hearts first and then fielding candidates’. This means that he could not win the hearts of the people. The decisions in 2019 have made people angrier and more alienated,” Mr. Abdullah said.
The former Chief Minister targeted Sajad Lone of the J&K Peoples Conference who is contesting against him in Baramulla. “The Home Minister talks about defeating the NC-Congress INDIA alliance, but he does not name any other political parties. There is no secret that my fight in the north Kashmir constituency is against Delhi. [BJP’s] Tarun Chugh comes to Srinagar and immediately calls Sajad Lone. And he (Lone) runs to meet him. This is how you come to know who is the power behind them,” he said.
Mr. Abdullah said the minorities, particularly Muslims, were looking for meaningful existence and “continue to remain marginalised” in Jammu and Kashmir.
