SRINAGAR: Amid a dispute between the Congress and Samajwadi Party regarding seat allocation for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah expressed concerns about the state of affairs within the opposition I.N.D.I.A alliance, reports in the media said.
“All is not well with the I.N.D.I.A alliance. Some internal conflicts, which ideally should not exist, are evident, particularly in the four or five states where elections are taking place. We have witnessed the ongoing discord between the Samajwadi Party and Congress. Both parties intend to contest all the seats in Uttar Pradesh, which is not conducive for the I.N.D.I.A alliance. Perhaps, after these state elections, we will convene again and attempt to collaborate,” Abdullah conveyed to reporters in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
In response to questions regarding the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) constituents criticising one another, Abdullah maintained that he had refrained from making any negative remarks.
“I have remained silent. I have not directed any criticism towards any of my colleagues, despite the fact that we have been targets of such criticism for several months. However, it is worth noting that, for the first time, I have not intervened to prevent my fellow party members,” he explained.
Implicitly alluding to PDP leaders’ criticisms of the National Conference during a recent party event, Abdullah stated that his party had ample topics to discuss without delving too far into the past.
“We have plenty of material to discuss. They have been revisiting historical issues for the past 30 years. We don’t need to venture that far back; just the past three or four years will suffice,” he added.
When questioned about the BJP’s assertion that the situation in Kashmir was normal, the former chief minister inquired why elections had not been conducted in Jammu and Kashmir if everything was indeed normal.
“If the situation is genuinely normal, why aren’t elections being held? What is the rationale? Only yesterday, a police officer was targeted in broad daylight in Srinagar. Now, there are reports of incidents in Pulwama,” he said.
“In Rajouri, an area that we had previously cleared of militancy, encounters or incidents occur every week or so. If this is considered a normal situation, then so be it,” he remarked.
Regarding the Jammu and Kashmir elections, when asked about their timing, Abdullah indicated that people were eagerly awaiting the assembly elections.
“However, there is no sign of these elections taking place anytime soon. Parliamentary elections are a necessity for them, but whether they will conduct them or not, only two individuals in the country possess that knowledge, and they have not shared it with me,” he concluded.
