Fight J&K polls together to defeat BJP: Omar to PAGD
SRINAGAR: National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday mooted the idea that all constituents of the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) would contest the coming assembly elections together to keep BJP and its B and C teams from dividing votes.
The former J&K CM, while speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar, said, “This is my personal opinion. If anyone asks me, I would suggest the PAGD should go together in the polls to keep the BJP away,” He said it was his personal opinion and the final decision will be made by the PAGD leadership.
The PAGD — comprising five mainstream political parties of J&K — had already dropped hints of contesting the assembly polls jointly. The PAGD did well in the DDC polls and bagged maximum seats.
Meanwhile, J&K Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur said Omar has no option other than to appeal the PDP to contest polls together as it is a “matter of two families”.
“This is to keep the family rule going. But their time is over and people of J&K are mature enough to understand the political deceit,” Thakur added.
The BJP leader said that presence of lakhs of people in PM Modi’s Samba rally gave out a clear message that the party was emerging strong across J&K. “Omar and his party are afraid of their defeat in the upcoming assembly polls and that’s why he is making appeals and suggesting that the PAGD should contest jointly. The fact remains that the PAGD is nothing but a combination of two parties, whose family rule has ruined J&K over the past seven decades,” Thakur added.