Srinagar: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were trying to “intimidate” Hindu voters in Jammu and Kashmir by creating false fear and were therefore focusing their election campaign on Jammu. Abdullah said the BJP was trying to mislead people by claiming that terrorism would rise again if the National Conference and Congress alliance came to power in Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah alleged, “They (BJP) want to scare the Hindu community. They think Hindus will vote for them, but today Hindus have changed. Earlier they (BJP) asked for votes in the name of Ram and now they want to scare them.” He was talking to reporters after paying tribute to National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah at his mausoleum in Naseem Bagh on his 42nd death anniversary. He said, “They repealed Article 370 (of the Constitution) but has terrorism ended? Terrorism is raising its head again and they are fully responsible for it.” Abdullah was answering the question that why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are campaigning in Jammu while ignoring Kashmir.
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Reacting to Shah’s criticism of the National Conference-Congress alliance during his visit to Jammu, the former chief minister said he was simply trying to malign his party. “But, Allah willing, he will not succeed. Our efforts will pave the way to work for the welfare of our people. The home minister can speak as much as he wants about us, but I want to tell him that we are against the kind of India he wants to create. India belongs to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists,” Abdullah said.
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He said, ‘We are not infiltrators. We are not snatching Mangalsutra. Muslims also contributed equally in the independence of India.’ On restoration of statehood, Abdullah said that the National Conference-Congress alliance will get it back. On BJP’s manifesto for Jammu and Kashmir elections, he said that it is just a slogan.
