Thursday 14 / November / 2024
Jammu: In the backdrop of the stalemate in Indian-administered-Kashmir, former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday called on Governor N. N. Vohra but ruled out National Conference providing an alternative saying his party would rather prefer mid-term elections than indulging in "horse-trading".
He, however, said nobody wants mid-term polls, but if a government is not formed, then election is the only way out.
"There is an effort right now to gather support independent of Mehbooba Mufti. I think rushing to Delhi is Mehbooba Mufti's last ditch effort to save her party because she realises if she does not form the government on the terms and conditions set by BJP, her party will split and if her party splits then she will be in a much weaker position than she is today. So she is trying to save her party," Omar told reporters after meeting Vohra at Raj Bhawan.
"I hope she meets the prime minister and the government is formed so that we can take the role of an effective opposition party. We have prepared ourselves for the role of opposition for six years," the working president of National Conference said.
Governor's Rule was imposed in the state on January 8 after the death of chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Omar also said he would never prefer horse trading to end the stalemate.
"Don't look towards us for an alternative. Jammu and Kashmir has not come out of what happened in 1984. I am not in favour of 20-25 people splitting PDP and forming another party. I am not in favour of that," he said.
"I met the governor after quite a long time. We discussed about the situation in the state, about the budget," he said, adding "If Peoples Democratic Party cannot take support from Congress, then the governor should dissolve the Assembly and order fresh elections."
But he hoped a new government is formed and the state is saved from fresh elections.
"My request to PDP is to take a final call and not to continue the stalemate. It's not that we want to force fresh elections on the state," he said.
According to him, the governor is "waiting for the day" when PDP and BJP would come and stake claim to form the government.
Omar also alleged BJP was breaking parties in states.
"Now BJP or elements attached to BJP are breaking parties. We have seen this type of government formation by horse trading in Arunachal Pradesh and another attempt is now made in Uttarakhand," he claimed.
He said Jammu and Kashmir has "paid a very heavy price for this sort of splitting of parties:
"If 1984 had not happened, Jammu and Kashmir would not have been a victim of militancy today," he said, adding "I would be the last person to favour any sort of government that is made by breaking up of political parties."
He also took a dig at PDP and BJP saying both the parties have been holding discussions for the past two-and-a-half months and PDP has not asked for anything new.
"If you are not asking anything new, if this is only a misunderstanding, if the dialogue with Amit Shah was successful then why we have to wait for the formation of the government," Omar asked.
"That is why I said if she (Mehbooba Mufti) is so indecisive as party president and God forbids she sits in the Secretariat and has to take decisions about the state, what will she do," he further asked.
On land being vacated by Army in the state, he dismissed a political motive behind it as the decision was taken by the governor.
"Don't colour the decision of Raj Bhavan with politics. If for this decision the government formation was delayed then it would have been formed by now because they were waiting for PM's invitation after this decision," he said.
"Whether this decision is good or bad we can discuss it later. I don't feel that Raj Bhavan took this decision so that Mehbooba Mufti could form the government," Omar said.
