GANDERBAL, Aug 25: NC vice president Omar Abdullah on Sunday claimed the PDP has copied his party’s manifesto and asked the Mehbooba Mufti-led party to not field candidates against NC-Congress nominees for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir as their agenda is the same.
Abdullah’s remarks came a day after Mehbooba said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would extend complete support to the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance and leave all seats in the elections for the coalition if it accepts her party’s agenda.
The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister was addressing NC workers in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, where activist Sayim Mustafa joined the party.
Abdullah said the NC has prepared an extensive manifesto for the assembly polls which has been copied by other parties.
“We have not left out anything in the manifesto. Today, everyone has copied our manifesto. They should have kept some differences,” he said, referring to the PDP’s manifesto which was released by Mehbooba on Saturday.
Abdullah said his party promised to provide 200 free units of electricity if it comes to power and “they (PDP) also said they will provide 200 units”.
“We said we will provide one lakh Government jobs in the first year, they also put that in their manifesto. We talked about reopening (cross-LoC) routes, it is in their manifesto as well. We talked about keeping the doors of dialogue open and they also said so. Almost everything that my colleagues put in our manifesto, they also put it,” he said.
On the PDP’s offer, Abdullah said there was not much difference between the agenda of the NC and the PDP.
“They (PDP) said if the NC-Congress alliance accepts their agenda, they will not put up candidates. You have put all our agenda in your manifesto. You have already accepted our agenda and now there is not much of a difference between your agenda and our agenda. Then do not field candidates and come, we will build a better tomorrow for Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Ahead of his speech, NC leaders asked Abdullah to reconsider his decision to not contest the assembly elections. Party workers chanted slogans asking him to contest elections from Ganderbal, the family bastion of the Abdullahs.
Abdullah, however, said he does not know what the future holds.
“This is my first campaign meeting after the announcement of the assembly elections. It should have been in the constituencies going to polls in the first phase in south Kashmir. This may be a sign,” he said.
“I have not come to snatch mandate from someone nor give mandate, the decision lies with the party and the party president. But I will say this thing that we will not take a decision without consulting the party workers,” he added, regretting the decision of giving mandate to former MLA Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar in 2014.
Last year, the NC expelled Jabbar for six years for indulging in anti-party activities.
Abdullah said he has always tried to serve the people of Ganderbal in various capacities.
“You people gave me a lot of respect and love. I cannot forget that you sent me to Parliament thrice. You let me serve you as an MLA for six years. Had I listened to you in 2014, I would have been your MLA till 2018, even if in opposition. Now only God knows what will happen in future. But we have to work hard,” he said.
Abdullah asked his party workers to remain cautious during the polls.
“Money will be distributed like water in these elections. A number of agencies will distribute money but you have to remain cautious about the people who join our ranks but work against us,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah said he was thankful to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for noticing his party’s election manifesto.
People who were not ready to read it, have now been compelled to go through it now, Abdullah added.
“I am thankful to the home minister from the core of my heart for talking about our manifesto. For a small party, contesting an election in a far-flung area of the country, it is a huge thing that the country’s home minister has seen our manifesto,’ Abdullah told reporters here after a party function.
Shah on Friday slammed the Congress for its alliance with the NC for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, accusing the party of repeatedly risking the country’s unity and security in its “greed for power”.
The Congress has once again “exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family’s National Conference,” the BJP leader said on X and posted 10 questions for the national party and its leader Rahul Gandhi, while listing several of the manifesto promises of the NC.
However, Abdullah said he was thankful to Shah for taking notice of the NC’s manifesto, saying, “He forced those people who till now were not ready to read our manifesto.”
“It is regretful that the Home Minister saw only one paragraph in our manifesto and he also talked about certain things which are not in our manifesto like name-changing. I re-read our manifesto after the home minister’s tweet to check whether I missed it, but it does not talk about that. But, still I am thankful to the home minister,” he added.
“Does the Congress want ‘Shankaracharya Hill’ to be known as ‘Takht-e-Suleiman’, and ‘Hari Hill’ as ‘Koh-e-Maran?” Shah had asked.
To a question about the reports of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leaders mulling to contest the polls independently, Abdullah said it was a welcome step.
“This is the beauty of democracy. I read in the media that JeI wanted the ban on it to be revoked so that they contest the polls. Unfortunately, the election bugle was sounded and the ban could not be revoked.
“Today, there are reports that they will contest as independent candidates. Bismillah. We wanted them to contest on their own symbol in JeI’s name, but let them contest even as independents. Let them plunge into the field, bring their manifesto and their promises. Then it is up to the people to decide whom they would like to vote,” Abdullah added.
Asked if he would contest the polls from Ganderbal, Abdullah, who represented the constituency in the erstwhile Assembly from 2009-14 when he was the Chief Minister, said the party will take a decision on that.
