JK Elections: ‘Our alliance with Congress is not a compulsion, it is the demand of time’, said Farooq Abdullah

Assembly elections are going to be held in Jammu and Kashmir after 10 years. Amidst the election preparations, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah attacked the central government in an exclusive interview given to India Today. He accused the BJP of trying to divide the country on religious grounds. Farooq Abdullah called the alliance with Congress the need of the hour.

When asked about the Centre’s claims that normalcy has returned to Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said, “There should be peace on the streets without any armed soldiers.”

‘Go and look at the streets…’

In an exclusive interview with India Today, he said, “How many soldiers are there? How many troops are there? Go and see on the streets how well armed they are. Is this peace? There should be peace without soldiers.”

Before the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah advocated for the restoration of full statehood. Targeting Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Abdullah said, ‘I want full statehood. Immediately. Why should we remain under Delhi? He can order anything. He can change anything.’

‘Our alliance with Congress is not a compulsion’

The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister was asked whether the alliance with the Congress would help in restoring the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly elections. Abdullah said that his party’s alliance with the Congress is not a compulsion but the need of the hour for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and restoration of full statehood.

‘The Centre has reduced our size’

Criticising the BJP-led central government, he said, “They have reduced our size. Since India became independent, I don’t know of any state other than Jammu and Kashmir being made a union territory.”

He said, ‘I want to ask them that they were saying that Article 370 is responsible for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Have they controlled terrorism? It has been five years since they had complete control over the state.’

‘BJP is dividing the country on religious basis’

Farooq Abdullah said, ‘BJP is trying to divide the country on religious basis.’ He said, ‘I have a problem with the things they are doing now. The way they are trying to separate people on religious basis.’

On Omar Abdullah’s decision to contest from two seats in the upcoming assembly elections, he said, “To change the situation, we should actively participate in elections. It is like being in a storm. You cannot stay on the shore and row the boat, you have to stay on the boat and row it in the storm.”