Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday firmly ruled out any possibility of allying with the BJP to expedite the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory, saying his party will not repeat the “mistakes” made by others in the past.
Abdullah said if the return of statehood is conditional on the BJP coming to power in Jammu and Kashmir, the party should be transparent about it.
“If that’s the deal being offered, the BJP should be honest. In its manifesto, and in promises made before Parliament and the Supreme Court, the BJP never said that statehood would depend on the party’s return to power in J&K,” he stated.
He added, “If that is the case, then they should clearly tell the people that as long as there is a non-BJP government in J&K, statehood will not be restored. Then we will decide our course of action accordingly.”
Reiterating his stand, Abdullah categorically said that “an alliance with the BJP is out of the question.”
Responding to a question at a press conference about a possible tie-up with the BJP for the restoration of statehood, he said, “No.”
The Chief Minister further recalled the “damaging” consequences of the 2015 PDP-BJP alliance. “We have already witnessed how much harm that alliance caused to J&K. The unnecessary partnership between the PDP and BJP in 2015 left lasting scars, and we continue to suffer its after-effects. I have no intention of repeating those mistakes,” Abdullah asserted.
