Omar Abdullah’s Political Wager: Threatens to Quit Politics if BJP Escapes Deposit Loss in Kashmir
If the BJP was confident of its claims on ‘development and normalcy’, then the party should field its candidates in the three seats in the Kashmir Valley, Abdullah told reporters at a press conference.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, April 12, to nominate its candidates in North, Central, and South Kashmir constituencies. He asserted that he would quit politics if the BJP’s candidates do not lose their security deposits.
“If you have done so much, then please field BJP candidates on these three seats (in Kashmir). If they do not lose their security deposits, then I will quit politics,” newswire PTI quoted Omar as saying.
A “security deposit” is an amount deposited with the Election Commission to ensure that only serious candidates file nomination to contest elections. If the candidate receives less than 1/6th of total votes polled in the seat, the deposit is forfeited. This means that the candidate loses the security deposit because he/she got so less number of votes.
‘Aaye maidan me…’: Omar challenges BJP
Later, when asked about his statement about leaving politics, Omar said, “Aaye maidan me [Let the BJP announce their candidates]. I will also see if they are able to get a single seat (in J&K) or not…” “…If what PM Modi is saying is correct [about rise in employment and better security in Jammu and Kashmir after 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated] then why are his candidates not in the field? Why is BJP not contesting South, Central and North Kashmir?…” Omar asked.
BJP supporting proxies in J&K?
In reference to a meeting between BJP General Secretary and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Tarun Chugh and Apni Party Chief Altaf Bukhari, the former Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, “It goes against New Delhi’s attempts to support entities that were previously proxies but are now openly aligned with the BJP.” He asked why does Tarun Chugh need support of People’s Conference and Apni Party.
‘My fight is not against individual but…’
Omar earlier addressed a press conference in Srinagar after his father and NC president Farooq Abdullah nominated him as the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from North Kashmir’s Baramulla parliamentary constituency.
Omar said he is contesting from North Kashmir as the party wanted to defeat the BJP-led central government, which is eyeing the Baramulla constituency as Peoples Conference’s Sajad Lone is contesting from the seat. Omar said, “This time, our fight is not against any individual. In North, Central and South Kashmir, our fight is not against any candidate, but it is against the forces [BJP] that are openly backing candidates there.”
“My fight is not against an individual, it is against the skullduggery, trickery, the political machinations of the BJP, Omar told PTI.
“The way in which they [BJP] are trying to create alternatives to parties like the National Conference, the way in which they are conspiring to try and bring their associate parties together on one stage and therefore I see this as an opportunity to take the fight directly to the BJP and to the Centre,” he added.
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in Jammu that J&K’s statehood would be restored and that assembly elections will be held soon, he said the Centre was not doing “us a favour”.
He said it would have been a favour if the government would have granted statehood or held elections before the Supreme Court ruling. “This has become a compulsion on them to conclude elections before September 30,” PTI quoted him as saying. Source
