Dr. Farooq Abdullah, President of the National Conference and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, announced on Wednesday that his party would not forge any pre-poll alliances for the upcoming Assembly elections.
"We will not be aligning with any other party, absolutely not," Abdullah told the media.
This comes ahead of the Election Commission of India's full bench visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to assess electoral preparedness. The ECI team will meet political party representatives for their feedback regarding the election process.
Abdullah said the ECI would consult with the parties before consulting the central government on deciding the election dates. "Whether announcement of dates are made or not, the ECI will go ahead with its visit, consult with everybody and then coordinate with Government of India to decide on the dates. It is not solely their decision; it is the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah who will have to decide it, he said.".
He took a potshot at government interference in religious matters while referring to the new Haj policy. "This government can take many decisions, but it has no right to interfere in the matter of religious practices. What is the justification for compelling somebody not to go for Haj? People spend their own money for pilgrimage, and the government has withdrawn its Haj subsidy. If somebody goes for the Amarnath or Badrinath Yatra, would we tomorrow tell them that they cannot go again? It is a matter of faith, and the government can't put restrictions on it," he said.
While talking about Bangladesh, Abdullah said that the international relations of India are a matter of grave concern as it is getting isolated amid tense relations with all its neighboring countries. "Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh was very friendly towards India but the general sentiment in that country was not in our favour. India should be prepared for any challenge. As of now we are alone and have no friendly neighbour, whether Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.". "It is regrettable that India, being the regional leader, has isolated its neighboring countries," Abdullah said.
He called for the revival of SAARC, saying that India should take its regional leadership role seriously by engaging in discussions with its neighbors over their issues. "Whole purpose of SAARC was to create a platform where neighbouring nations could engage in a dialogue and work together. It is only through such dialogues that we can dream of restoring friendly relations with our neighbors.".
The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir has also joined PDP president Mehbooba Mufti in criticizing the manner in which the country's foreign policy is being handled by the current government. Abdullah, on Tuesday, repeated his argument that dialogue with Pakistan was the only way that peace and prosperity could return to Jammu and Kashmir - an argument vehemently opposed by the Centre.
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