Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 22: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today ruled out any alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) saying if the exit polls are correct, the ruling National Conference (NC) and Congress have no numbers to form the government.
While addressing a press conference, a day before the county of votes tomorrow morning, Omar said that it is inconceivable for his party to form an alliance with the BJP in view of its stand on the issues which are important to the people of the State. “The BJP went silent on Article 370 but they have not dissociated from its stand on it, they have not dissociated from Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid issue, they have not dissociated from Common Civil Code. Right till now, you have a Prime Minister who is silent about the issue of forcible conversions that is going on in some parts of the country”, he said.
Chief Minister said that he doesn’t see a situation emerging where BJP will require NC support. “These are issues National Conference will find very difficult to reconcile itself to, should the BJP require support from the NC, I don’t see a situation like that emerging,” he said.
Omar said no lines of communication are open between NC and other parties in the State for a post-poll alliance. “There are no lines of communication between NC and BJP, nor the PDP, nor the Congress,” he added. He said his tweet in support of Bharat Ratna for former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee should not be seen as him cozying up to the BJP. “Does anyone really believe that one tweet can make an alliance. Please don’t read more into that (tweet)”, he added.
“Neither me, nor my father have been quiet on this. We have maintained that it would have been a good gesture on part of UPA to confer Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee. I have deep regards for Vajpayee,” said the Chief Minister.
Omar ruled out his party’s alliance with the PDP. On a possible alliance with Congress, the Chief Minister said that can be discussed only after the results are out tomorrow. “If the exit polls are correct, NC and Congress will not have the numbers. So, let us wait till tomorrow,” he added.
Chief Minister said that he has no regrets with his party’s coalition with Congress. “NC-Congress coalition was a result of the post-poll situation in 2008. Clearly, no single party is going to form Government on its own. What remains to be seen is how close to these so-called exit polls, the actual number stacks up,” he said. He, however, said that former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad ran a bitter campaign against him and his family for his own interests.
Omar believes that his party will put up a credible show. “Please understand where we are coming from. In the Parliament elections, I held three Assembly constituencies — all three in Srinagar. Two of them were badly hit by floods. If we extrapolate that result with the resultant post-flood anger, perhaps I should have only one constituency,” he said.
Chief Minister said that he already knew that no party will get clear mandate. “Even at the beginning of this campaign, I knew that no one party will form Government on its own. What combination is possible, we will come to know tomorrow,” he added.
Omar said his Government did good works during past six year but there were some incidents which he would be among his biggest regrets. He listed 2010 summer agitation, during which120 persons lost their lives, and his inability to persuade the Centre for revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the State as some of these regrets.”I knew it would not be possible to revoke the AFSPA but a beginning could have been made. Militancy-related incidents came down by nearly 70 per cent during his tenure,” he said.
Chief Minister mentioned that while the Government enacted several anti-corruption laws, the people have not understood and used these laws as much as they could have. He said the tourism sector witnessed a boom during his six-year tenure as the number of tourist arrivals is expected to cross 55 lakh by the year end compared to just 22 lakh arrivals between 2002 and 2008.
Omar expressed his satisfaction over people taking part in large numbers across the State in polls to repose faith in democracy and hoped people of Srinagar will learn lesson. “I do hope that people of Srinagar take lessons from some other constituencies and take larger part in elections. It is not good enough to complain about poor infrastructure, it is not good enough to complain about poor flood relief, it is not good enough to complaint about poor response, if you don’t come forward and participate in a mechanism that allows you to choose your representatives that can do better for you. I do hope that the people of Srinagar will take lessons from some of the other constituencies and repose greater faith in the electoral process going ahead,” he said.
Chief Minister said he would look forward to serving the people of the State in whatever capacity they deem fit. He said over the years, his opponents have accused him of oppressing the people but the large-scale participation in elections shows that people have chosen the democratic way of making themselves heard.
“Personally, given the fact that these elections are taking place in the shadow of most devastating floods in more than a generation, I would’t have grudge the people if there participation had been much lower than this but the fact that they came out in such large numbers and participated as enthusiastically as they did.
Barring one odd complaints about electoral malpractices, I don’t recall any single incident where any electoral malpractice were highlighted by any body in the media,” Omar said.
Omar said if the projected seat tally of mid-20s for the BJP turns out to be correct, it would be a victory for secular parties like National Conference and PDP to have stalled the march of the national party. “I think it is our victory that we stopped them in their tracks. I think if the BJP is unable to open its account in the Valley, that is also a victory of the secular parties like NC and PDP,” he said.
Omar said more than BJP, he would be asking after results tomorrow why could not PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed take advantage of the mistakes made during his Government. “I will give you three examples on the basis of which the PDP should have crossed the 44 mark on its own and not needed an alliance. If you take the 2010 summer agitation, with the hanging of Afzal Guru and ended with the floods. And after that also if the PDP does not cross 44, then there is something seriously wrong with that party. If I had been in Opposition with these events having taken in Mufti Sayeed Government, today I would have been talking 50 plus and not 44,” he said.
Chief Minister did not agree with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval terming the State elections as a strategic victory over Pakistan saying such posturing can lead to trouble during future elections. “I would beg to disagree with the NSA. I know they have their own way of looking at things. The problem is that when you take an election, such as an Assembly election, and convert it into a strategic victory over Pakistan, then you convert an Assembly election into some sort of plebiscite. And the moment you do that, you are creating problems for future elections,” he told reporters here.
Omar said the Assembly elections are not about India and Pakistan or for resolution of Kashmir issue. “This is not an election about India and Pakistan, it is not an election about the issue of Kashmir. It is simply an election about people of Jammu and Kashmir to elect their representatives into the Assembly and subsequently a State Government,” he said.
Chief Minister said any other interpretation of the Assembly elections is fraught with enormous risk and danger. “This is exactly the sort of response the separatists want. They want you to project this election something other than an election for Government because that is what bolsters their boycott campaign,” he added.
Omar brushed aside the criticism by the Parliamentary Panel for not taking sufficient measures on the forewarning about “more than normal” heavy showers, saying there was no forewarning of the floods in the State. “I don’t know whether the State Government or the Central Government had the power to stop the rains, I certainly did not. And, therefore, if there was any warning to me that heavy rains are causing flooding and I should do something about it and If they think by stopping the rain from falling I have failed, then I accept my failure,” he said.
Reacting to the Parliamentary Panel report rapping his Government for not taking sufficient measures on the forewarning of the Meteorological Department about more than normal heavy showers during the recent floods, the Chief Minister this is a very “convenient sort of handle” which they want to use for cutting favour with the people here. “Whom did they share their warning with? I am sure they share warning with other agencies as well and therefore this is a very convenient sort of handle which they want to use to cutting favour with the people here. It will not work,” he said.
“If they are saying that having been forewarned, I did not mobilize my Government what were they doing?” the Chief Minister asked. “How long did it take them to fly in boats and NDRF rescue teams. If they were ready for the floods, Why were not their boats already in Srinagar. If they were ready for the floods, why hadn’t the Army vacated lower parts of the Badamibagh Cantonment. Why was the Army also caught unawares?” Omar asked.
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