Not aspiring to become chief minister but only fighting election to J&K House: Omar Abdullah

SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah has said that he is not vying to be the chief minister of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir but only fighting election to its Assembly.

In an interview to this correspondent, Mr. Abdullah ruled out the possibility of any tie-up with the BJP after the elections. He accused the Centre and the BJP of working their butt off to keep him out of the Assembly. He said that the main motive before NC’s forging a pre-poll alliance with the Congress is to stop the BJP from coming to power in J&K. He sought to clarify that the NC is not seeking a vote on the promise that it will bring Article 370 back but “only to continue to talk on it and keep the issue alive.”

He said that if the alliance partners are voted to power, the new government will help in making the ground conducive for the resumption of peace dialogue between India and Pakistan. Excerpts:

Q: You had in August this year said that you don’t want to become the Chief Minister of a Union Territory where you will have to seek its Lieutenant Governor’s consent even for appointing a peon. You had earlier also said that you will not contest an election of its assembly as long as J&K remains a UT. But you are now fighting elections from not just one but two constituencies?

A: Who told you I’m aspiring to become the chief minister? Have you heard me saying anywhere that I’m a claimant to the Chief Minister’s chair? We’re not talking about the Chief Ministerial race. I’m only fighting this election to be a member of the J&K Assembly. It was the decision of my party. We will talk on this (who will be the Chief Minister) after October 8 (when the election results will be out). I had said that a firm commitment laying out the timeline for restoration of full and undiluted statehood for J&K is a prerequisite for these elections. I said and I reiterate it today that the people of J&K deserve better than a powerless, rubber stamp Chief Minister who will have to beg the Lieutenant Governor to get his or her peon appointed.

Q: Days after filing your nomination papers from Ganderbal which is known as your family turf, you did it also in Budgam which drew criticism from your political opponents who termed it as a sign of insecurity. Did you fear defeat in Ganderbal where you lost in 2002 but won in 2008?

A: Not at all! When the party decided to field me from Ganderbal, reports poured in that they are encouraging a person (firebrand separatist publicist Sarjan Ahmad Wagay aka Sarjan Barkati) who is in jail to contest against me. His nomination papers had been rejected in the Wachi constituency of the Shopian earlier. I was forced to think why these people are put after me only. Is there a conspiracy?

To verify it, I without making any pre-announcement filed the nomination papers also from Budgam at the last moment. They got confused, as I had through Internet obtained the nomination form also for Beerwa. Barkati filed his nomination papers from Beerwa too, apparently thinking I would contest from there as I got elected from there in 2014.

Q: If it was deliberate, who do you think is behind it?

A: Who can be the people who get his nomination papers rejected in one constituency and accepted in another? Clearly, the BJP played this game in Baramulla, and they want to repeat it in Ganderbal.

Q: You are pointing your finger at New Delhi?

A: Absolutely!

Q: What could be the reason behind it? Why are they trying to stop you from entering the Assembly?

A: Otherwise too, they don’t like our organisation. Perhaps, they dislike me more. They always tried to weaken the NC and its leadership. They are bringing people out of jails, be it Engineer Rashid who fought against me in the Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla or Sarjan Barkati to contest against me. I believe that had Farooq (Abdullah) Sahab been in the fray instead of me they would have done it with him too.

Q: After forging an alliance with Congress, you said it was not an easy task. On the other hand, the JKPPC chief Tariq Hameed Karra termed it a majboori (compulsion). If that was the case, how can people expect any good from the combine and trust and vote for it?

A: We were majboor (compelled), not because we wanted to save our parties, we were majboor to join hands to save J&K from the BJP. Tariq Sahab spoke in that context and, when I said it wasn’t an easy task, I was referring to the fact that we had chosen the candidates for all the 90 seats and then we had to part with 32 of these and it wasn’t so easy to decide who should we ask to pull back. We were sure to win many of the seats which we shared out. Obviously, those of our partymen who were preparing to contest for these seats were disappointed. Some of them agreed to withdraw in the interest of the party; some didn’t, and their selfishness overwhelmed them, and they joined the fray as independents. Hence, it wasn’t an easy task for the NC.

Q: The two parties decided to have a ‘friendly contest’ on five seats apparently because the aspirants refused to give in. It was announced that even in these segments, the alliance partners will maintain affability and not criticise each other while campaigning. The ground reality is different. Isn’t it?

A: Yes, in one constituency their candidate (former JKPPC chief Wakar Rasool Wani) said something antagonistic which wasn’t liked by his own party leadership.

Q: During the campaigning, the NC is promising the people that if voted to power it will bring Article 370 and 35A back. Do you really mean it?

A: I don’t tell the people we will bring them back. We tell them we will keep this issue alive. We don’t tell the people that the Assembly that is going to be constituted will bring Article 370 back. We tell the people that this isn’t an ordinary matter. This is not going to happen in a short span of time. It took the BJP thirty to forty years to abrogate these constitutional provisions. How can we say these will be reinstated in the Constitution through this Parliament or Assembly. In our manifesto, we have also said that we will continue to talk on this issue to keep it alive. Not more than that.

Q: What about the other rights of the people; their rights on the land and government jobs?

A: Definitely, we would like to bring them back. When J&K’s statehood is restored, we will make our domicile laws stronger so that our rights on land, jobs, contracts, mining and other natural resources are salvaged and safeguarded in future.

Q: Congress doesn’t talk about the restoration of Article 370? When you were deliberating on the possibility of a pre-poll alliance did this issue also come up for discussion?

A: No! We are fighting this election on our manifesto, and they do it on their own. Who are we to question with what they are going to the people, nor can they stop us from seeking the people’s support on whatever issues and promises. Let’s get the required number of seats to form a government only then we can sit down and discuss these issues.

Q: The Prime Minister and Home Minister have categorically stated that Articles 370 and 35A are now part of history and can never come back? The Supreme Court too upheld the constitutional validity of the Centre’s August 5, 2019 move. So, aren’t you hoodwinking people on this issue?

A: We know we will not get them back from these people (BJP leadership). When did we say we will get them back from the Modi sarkar. But we also know they will not remain in government forever. As far as the Supreme Court, it had thrice before given a verdict for continuing with Article 370. Those were the judgements of three-judge benches. Last December’s verdict was given by a five-judge bench. It is possible that tomorrow the opinion of a seven-judge bench will be different from it. We have never told people that we will bring back what was snatched from us overnight. We say we will keep this issue alive.

Q: Do you think the NC will ever be in a position or strong enough to ask for the return of the special status to J&K and it will be conceded?

A: Tell me when Rajiv Gandhi got a massive mandate, and the BJP could win only two seats in the Lok Sabha elections who would have imagined that they (BJP) will one day be strong enough to demolish Babri Masjid and build Ram Mandir in its place or abrogate Article 370. Even when (Atal Bihari) Vajpayeeji was the Prime Minister, he would talk about Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat. Times changed and times can change again. Why are we being asked to be disappointed; why are we being told Article 370 will not come back?

Q: Why couldn’t you take the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) along? Their manifesto is not much different from yours.

A: They didn’t leave any room for a larger alliance. The PDP didn’t help the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Ladakh. It fielded its candidates against the NC nominees in the three Kashmir Valley seats. They continued to target the NC in their statements and, days before the announcement of elections, also at the annual raising day of their party. We were ready but they didn't leave any scope for it.

Q: Your opponents and critics say that people should expect that the NC and Congress will not remain partners if they don’t get enough seats to form a government. They should not be surprised if the NC parts ways with the Congress to cobble up an alliance with the BJP to grab power in J&K. How would you respond?

A: Why should we do that? Many people say many things. Everyone has a right to make and express his opinion on issues. If we wanted to go with the BJP, we could have done it before the elections. We decided to forge an alliance with the Congress and for a purpose which I explained already. We don’t want the BJP to get enough numbers even to think about forming a government here.

Q: Some former separatists including those belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir too are contesting these elections. Do you see their presence in the fray as a threat to the NC-Congress combine?

A: If they at all are going to damage any party it is the PDP. Today, their people are casting their votes openly. In the past elections, the Jamaatis favoured the PDP secretly which is an open secret. This time their own nominees are in the field which obviously will affect PDP more than anyone else.

Q: The NC is also asking for resumption of peace talks with Pakistan. Do you think it will happen in the near future?

A: As of now, the atmosphere isn’t conducive for it. Let’s accept the ground reality. The kind of situation that’s prevailing, particularly the dread that is there in the Jammu region, I don’t think, it is going to happen. But we want such circumstances to be created in which it becomes possible for the two countries to sit together to resolve issues. For this Pakistan too has to play a role.

Q: New Delhi rules out dialogue with Islamabad until and unless what it says terrorism unleashed in Indian from the Pakistani soil stops?

A: A state government’s role in these matters is very limited but we can raise our voice for it. Also, if voted to power in J&K, we will work towards creating the circumstances in which the two countries agree to sit across a negotiating table.