Farooq Abdullah rules out alliance with BJP
Days before the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election results on October 8, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday ruled out any alliance with Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).
The statement by Abdullah comes a day after the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) firmly denied any back-channel talks with the BJP or any party outside the INDIA bloc regarding a potential post-poll alliance.
“I want to say we cannot go with the BJP. The votes which we have got are against the BJP. The difficulties they imposed on Muslims, including the demolition of shops, homes, mosques and schools…do you think we will go with them? How many Muslims did give mandate in the Parliamentary election? There is not a single Muslim minister (in the Union Cabinet),” Abdullah said on Saturday.
Noting that “if they (BJP) think they will form the government, then they live in cuckoo’s world,” he said, whoever stands with the BJP would get wiped out.
On Friday, NC had said that they won’t join any alliance with the BJP. The denial had followed claims by former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattoo, who alleged that NC had initiated discussions with the BJP.