Kashmiri Muslim will never side with BJP, says Farooq Abdullah
‘NC will never die, it lives in hearts of people; Mufti paved way for BJP’s entry to Kashmir; GOI should talk to Hurriyat’
National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah Tuesday asserted that Kashmiri Muslim will “never accept” Bharatiya Janata Party even if its leaders “jump from the sky.”
In an exclusive interview at his Gupkar residence here, Dr Farooq—who returned from London recently after undergoing a kidney transplant there—said NC is back on track after tasting a defeat in the Parliament and Assembly elections last year. “I see my party emerging. It is emerging in the right direction. I am the party patron and I will remain so till my last breath. My son Omar will lead the party,” he said. “We have started our membership drive. There will be delegates and party will be further strengthened at grassroots. There will be young faces on the forefront, the faces who have a clean image without a dark past.”
ON DEFEAT
Asked what led to NC’s fall in the polls, Dr Farooq said many factors were responsible for it. “NC will never die. It’s in the hearts of people. It will remain alive even after Farooq’s death. It was because of our mistakes we lost the elections. I made a mistake by going to New Delhi as a Union Minister. This cost me my health and my party,” Farooq said. “I have to undergo another surgery, though not a serious one, for which I am travelling again to London.”
About his statement that some senior party leaders misled him about party’s performance during his stint as the Union Minister, the NC patron said “nobody can mislead me.”
“If we lost elections, it was because of our mistakes. If my party member lost because of some mistake, that was Farooq’s mistake also,” he said.
ON BJP
On BJP’s claims that it has registered 50,000 members from old Srinagar during its membership drive, Farooq said he doesn’t believe in these figures. “There may be some members who would be in need of money. I am of the belief that Kashmiri Muslim will never side with BJP, even if they (BJP jump from the sky,” he said.
Dr Farooq accused Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed of “paving way for BJP’s entry into the State.”
“We were in an alliance with BJP, but I didn’t allow BJP flags to be waved outside Civil Secretariat,” he said.
The NC president asserted that the BJP has befooled Mufti. “They couldn’t befool us, but they managed to befool Mufti,” he said. “BJP’s agenda is same as that of Shyama Prasad Mukherji—ekpradan, ekvidhan, eknishan (one leader, one nation, one symbol). We are not fools here, we know everything.”
Asked whether the PDP-BJP would complete six year term, he said: “Only God knows. Only God knows what would be the fate of PDP after this alliance?”
He, however, was quick to add that NC is fighting for a cause. “One of the major causes is the new job policy. The present government sidelined constitutional recruitment agencies which we are not going to allow,” he said. “We won’t throw stones, but we will approach courts, which are open for us.”
ON KASHMIR
Stating that Kashmir can only be resolved through dialogue, Dr Farooq said: “You (New Delhi) can’t say no to this. You need to involve Hurriyat also as they also represent some people,” he said.
“Open your doors, don’t shut them. I felt sad when the Home Minister of India recently claimed they won’t talk to separatists and the Chief Minister Mufti should talk to them. I wonder Mufti will do with them. Delivery has to come from New Delhi.”
The NC president said when former Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee went to Pakistan, he preferred not to take him (Dr Farooq) along. “He knew I would say something there that won’t suit him. This attitude needs to be set aside and you need to talk,” he said.
Dr Farooq said friendly ties between India and Pakistan are a must to resolve all issues. “There has to be a unity between the two countries, only then issues can be resolved,” he said.
