Will Continue To Raise Issues To Perform Better In 2019: Omar Abdullah

Former J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, said that he will continue to highlight the issues to prepare better for 2019 elections and increase connect with people to give tough contest to the BJP, “even if some people may not like it.”

The statement has come in context of his recent tweets praising BJP’s success in Uttar Pradesh, which triggered political controversy as Congress asked Abdullah to concentrate on state politics and not to comment on national issues.

“At this rate we might as well forget 2019 & start planning/hoping for 2024”, Abdullah had tweeted after landslide win of BJP in UP. 

Talking to reporters here, Abdullah said, if nothing is learnt from the defeat of the Assembly election in UP, then the opposition parties “should prepare for 2024 elections” instead of 2019 general elections.

However, he further stated that he was hopeful that after the UP defeat, the opposition ‘will increase connect’ with people and give tough contest to the BJP.

Abdullah said the BJP only talks about the UP sweep to buttress its argument of Modi wave but the party refuses to talk about Delhi and Bihar where it was trounced. “The BJP should give explanation about Bihar and Delhi as well”, Abdullah said. He insisted that 2019 will be difficult if the groundwork for it is not started now.

About the bye-elections in two parliamentary constituencies of the Valley and his party’s strategy, Abdullah said the NC core group has met and deliberated upon current situation and the bye-elections. He said the decision has been left to the party president, Dr. Farooq Abdullah.

He described present situation in the Valley as grim and said the security cover of his party men has been curtailed instead of increasing. “The security of my former legislators and Ministers has been decreased. We have to plead to the government to provide them security in case they want to visit their areas” Abdullah said.

The Election Commission, he said, should ensure that whosoever participates in the elections as candidate or campaigner should be provided a foolproof security.

“The Election Commission should ensure that situation should be conducive for the elections”, he added.

He said the present government should make an effort to understand the sentiments of people, who were coming out to disrupt the encounters. The government, as per the NC leader, should seriously think over the issue as for past two years youths were disrupting the encounters.

He said the warning of the Army Chief to declare people who would disrupt the anti-militancy operations didn’t work. He said the Army Chief had issued the statement presuming after the warning people would stay at home.

“But that didn’t happen. In spite of threat more people came out. The present government should make an effort to understand the sentiments of people.”