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Now, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti push for Opposition unity at Rahul’s Mumbai rally
Local Congress leaders said party leader Rahul Gandhi is mediating between Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti-led parties in a bid to save the alliance
The presence of National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidents Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti at the culmination of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay yatra in Mumbai on Sunday has given hope to the INDIA bloc partners of arriving at a seat-sharing formula in Jammu and Kashmir.
Local Congress leaders said party leader Rahul Gandhi is mediating between the partners in a bid to save the alliance.
Both Abdullah and Mufti addressed the rally and stressed upon opposition unity to save the country. The development comes in the backdrop of a war of between the alliance partners in view of Abdullah announcing that NC will not spare a seat for the PDP in the Kashmir Valley.
Besides Congress leaders, CPI(M) general secretary and Awami National Conference vice-president Muzzaffar Shah also met both NC and PDP leaders, requesting them not to break the alliance given that the Jammu and Kashmir finds itself at a crucial juncture of — the first major polls since the abrogation of Article 370.
CPI(M) general secretary and spokesperson for People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a Jammu and Kashmir-based alliance of Opposition parties, Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami after a joint meeting said he was hopeful the alliance will remain intact.
NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar also maintained that there was no friction between alliance partners, adding, “There was no friction. It was a media-created controversy.”
Abdullah’s close aide and senior party leader Tanvir Sadiq echoed the sentiment, saying the alliance was never in danger. “We have emphasised that NC, which won three seats last time, should retain its seats, and it’s incumbent upon Congress and PDP to support them. Ensuring NC’s victory ultimately secures the success of the INDIA bloc.”
PDP spokesperson Tahir Sayeed also said the party was still a part of INDIA bloc, saying their fight was not for the chair, but to save the Constitution and restore the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He added that it was Mufti who brought the parties on a common platform in the first place.
Oppn meeting soon: Omar
NC vice-president Omar Abdullah meanwhile on Monday said PAGD was alive. “In the next few days, there will be a meeting of the PAGD,” he said on the sideline of an event in South Kashmir in a departure from his past remarks.
Besides NC and PDP, CPI(M) and Awami National Conference are part of the alliance that was formed after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. A year later, the parties contested the district development Council elections, the first elections post abrogation. Soon after polls, the Peoples Conference led by Sajjad Lone parted ways from the alliance.
