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Jammu voters didn’t hold our hand but we will hold theirs: Farooq Abdullah
When asked about meeting L-G Manoj Sinha to stake claim for government formation, Farooq Abdullah said the two alliance partners were busy with meetings
National Conference president and former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, on Wednesday allayed all apprehensions of Jammu region remaining unrepresented or under-represented in the new NC-Congress coalition government.
“Jammu would get its due share in the coalition government,” he told HT.
The NC has won 42 seats while ally Congress has bagged six. The alliance also has the support of CPI(M) legislator MY Tarigami. Further, three to four more legislators, including NC’s rebels, who had contested and won, are likely to join the alliance.
Of the NC’s 42 winners, seven come from the Jammu region that include two Hindus from Ramban and Nowshera seats — Arjun Singh Raju and Surinder Choudhary. THe five other MLAs are Sajad Shaheen from Banihal, Khurshid Ahmed from Gulabgarh, Javaid Iqbal from Budhal, Aijaz Ahmed Jan from Poonch Haveli and Javed Ahmed Rana from Mendhar. The Congress has one MLA from Rajouri — Iftikar Ahmed.
The BJP, though won 29 seats out of 43 in Jammu region, is likely to sit in the Opposition.
“More MLAs will join us soon. We will not let Jammu behind. Though Jammu didn’t hold our hand, we will hold Jammu’s hand,” Abdullah said, adding the NC would increase its vote share in Jammu in the next five years on the basis of its performance.
“We will work on this (vote share in Jammu) and increase our share in the next five years in Jammu and we will do it with our work. Jammu will definitely get its due share and everyone will be surprised. We will do justice with Jammu,” he said.
He, however, stopped short of speaking about the possibility of having a cabinet minister from Jammu region saying, “It’s too early to comment on the issue. You will see on the day of the House that whether we have done justice with Jammu or not. I must tell you honestly that the people of Jammu will be very happy.”
When asked about meeting L-G Manoj Sinha to stake claim for government formation, Abdullah said the two alliance partners were busy with meetings. “We will soon be holding a meeting of the NC. Similarly, Congress MLAs have gone to Delhi for meeting party high command. Thereafter, INDIA bloc partners will also come for the swearing in ceremony. Big arrangements are being made for the swearing in ceremony,” he added.
Abdullah, however, refused to address rumours flying thick and fast of making party Nowshera MLA Surinder Choudhary deputy CM in the council of ministers. Notably, Choudhary had staged a big upset by defeating BJP’s local unit president Ravinder Raina. “No government is in place yet and several names are being speculated in the media,” he said.
NC’s MLA from Ramban, Arjun Singh Raju, meanwhile, said “NC had always been the voice of Jammu and Kashmir and would be no two different yardsticks for Kashmir and Jammu. The NC always had programmes for the entire UT and the party doesn’t differentiate on caste, creed, colour, regions and sub-regions.”
“The people of Jammu should not harbour any doubts of them being unrepresented or unheard in the new government. On the contrary, the discrimination had been meted out to the people during LG’s rule and prior to it during PDP-BJP government’s rule,” he added.
