Former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Monday said that Peoples Democratic Party candidate for Baramulla Lok Sabha segment helped the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in abrogation of Article 370.
Addressing a party function in Langate area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, Omar, who is the party’s candidate for Baramulla Lok Sabha segment, said the PDP candidate from Baramulla Lok Sabha segment didn’t vote against abrogation of Article 370 in Rajya Sabha.
“You should ask the candidate with the inkpot (symbol) who is contesting against me where he was when Article 370 was put to vote in Rajya Sabha? BJP didn’t have majority in Rajya Sabha. He remained absent. He didn’t vote against abrogation of the Article 370,” Omar said, as per a news agency.
Omar said the PDP candidate remained absent from the Rajya Sabha to directly help Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Should we again send such representatives to the parliament?” Omar asked.
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in 1932 in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the organisation renamed itself to “National Conference” in 1939 in order to represent all the people of the state. It supported the accession of the princely state to India in 1947. Prior to that, in 1941, a group led by Ghulam Abbas broke off from the National Conference and revived the old Muslim Conference. The revived Muslim Conference supported the accession of the princely state to Pakistan and led the movement for Azad Kashmir.
Since 1947, the National Conference was in power in Jammu and Kashmir in one form or another till 2002, and again between 2009 and 2015. It implemented land reforms in the state, ensured the state’s autonomy under the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, and formulated a separate Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir in 1957. Sheikh Abdullah’s son Farooq Abdullah (1981–2002, 2009–present) and grandson Omar Abdullah (2002–2009) have led the party after Sheikh Abdullah’s death as the president. The party is a member of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration electoral alliance.
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