We have emerged and are the new alternative in J&K: Lone
REACTION The People’s Conference chief says J&K’s special status is sacred
: People’s Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Gani Lone, who is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kashmir, said on Friday that the state’s special status was sacred for his party and the Kashmir issue was bigger than the state assembly.
Lone, flanked by former Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) leader Imran Ansari, said at a press conference that his party will fight for development in the next assembly elections and they will be the new force to reckon with.
The PC chairman castigated the coming together of PDP, National Conference (NC) and Congress terming it an “opportunistic alliance” that wanted to stall the entry of a third regional party.
“But they have failed. We have emerged and we are the new alternative. We will go to people’s court from village to village and let people decide who they have to choose. We are here to stay and we will ensure that there will be a change at the top in the next elections,” he said.
The J&K governor, Satya Pal Malik, on Wednesday night dissolved the state assembly after Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP and its arch-rival NC teamed up with the Congress to form the government. At the same time, Sajjad Lone too staked his claim, saying they had the support of 25 legislators belonging to the BJP and “more than 18” others.
DEFENDS DECISION TO ALLY WITH BJP
“If it is a sin to align with BJP, then the sin has been first done by Omar Abdullah. He was a minister, a poster boy of NDA. And then Mehbooba Mufti remained in power for three years with them. And the alternative as a national party to BJP is Congress. How are they different? Have they done any justice to Article 370 till date? After 1975 accord when Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah came, he first signed away governor’s rights. I am not saying that I am an angel but they aren’t either,” he said.
He further alleged that 90% of erosion to Article 370 was done by the Congress.
When asked that will he do away with Article 370 and 35-A, he said that was unthinkable. “It is sacred for us. No Kashmiri politician can even dream of doing it,” he said.
But is BJP against it? “That is their stand. We are a regional party and have regional aspirations. When you tie up with a national party, the reason is that your ideologies don’t overlap... Otherwise they are one party.”
Lone said that they will seek votes for development and the issue plaguing Kashmir was bigger than the state assembly which will take time for resolution.
“The (Kashmir) issue is bigger than our assembly. It is something on which the Government of India (GoI) has to take a call. And we as a facilitating party can facilitate GoI in assessing the situation and taking steps for the remedy of the problems afflicting us. There is no short-term solution. This condition will persist for a very long time,” he said.
On NC’s allegations of horsetrading and exchange of money, Lone said he has no money to break any party. “They have ruled for 50 years, where will I get money from? Buying legislators needs a lot of money,” he said.
He said legislators supporting him came to him on their own after getting disillusioned from others’ leadership and that was why he approached the governor for government formation.
If it is a sin to align with BJP, then the sin has been first done by Omar Abdullah. He was a minister, a poster boy of NDA. And then Mehbooba Mufti remained in power for three years with them. SAJJAD LONE, People’s Conference chairman