The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clarified on Wednesday its position regarding the National Conference (NC) government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The party emphasized that it never intended to join the NC government following the assembly elections held in Jammu and Kashmir last year.
During a press conference, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, asserted that the BJP was “content sitting in the opposition” and had no plans to ally with the National Conference.
“The BJP never offered to form a government with Omar Abdullah. If he claims so, he should show proof or stop misleading the people,” Sharma stated. He called on Abdullah to either present facts publicly or apologize to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, during recent remarks in Anantnag’s Achabal area, suggested that the NC could have partnered with the BJP in 2015, similar to the alliance with the PDP, but he declined, stating, “I am not ready to make that trade.”
Sharma reacted sharply, accusing Abdullah of political hypocrisy, saying, “You were the one knocking on BJP’s doors. When your recent offer was rejected, you started crying foul. This is the height of political shamelessness.”
Furthermore, he claimed that the Abdullah family has a history of spreading misinformation against the BJP and the Central Government while maintaining cordial relations with officials in Delhi.
Sharma highlighted Abdullah’s meetings with Union ministers, remarking, “He presents shawls, has tea, and dines with them in Delhi, but in Jammu and Kashmir, he says he won’t allow the BJP to form the government. This double-faced politics won’t work.”
The LoP criticized Abdullah’s use of anti-BJP rhetoric as a strategy to garner support ahead of the upcoming Budgam bypolls.
Addressing the ongoing discourse about statehood restoration, Sharma contended that the people of Jammu and Kashmir do not desire a return to a system that breeds unrest. “Do you want statehood for protests, killings, and shutdowns? People of J&K want peace, not politics of violence,” he remarked.
Sharma also rebutted Abdullah’s claims regarding lacking administrative powers, stating, “The Lieutenant Governor has approved 97 out of 97 files sent to him. Which power are you missing?”
He concluded by calling on Abdullah to “focus on governance instead of fooling people,” expressing gratitude towards the Central Government for releasing the 21st instalment of PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, which transferred ₹171 crore to 8.55 lakh farmers in Jammu and Kashmir.
