NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Onkar Singh in Srinagar
Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah, who took over as the president of the National Conference in Srinagar on Sunday, said that he would stake claim for the chief ministership of Jammu and Kashmir only if Dr Farooq Abdullah was not available for the post.
Speaking to newsmen after the coronation ceremony, Omar Abdullah said that his first task was to go to each and every village and ask the people to vote for National Conference in the forthcoming state assembly election to be held in October this year.
" I have only taken over as the president of the party and Dr Farooq Abdullah continues to be the chief minister. No, I am not going to stake claim to be the chief minister of the state if Dr Abdullah is available for the post. Only if he declines to do so then I would stake my claim," Omar said.
Asked if he stood by his statement that Jammu and Kashmir had a bad human right record, he said that he was referring to pre-1996 period before Dr Abdullah's government came into power.
"I had made that statement in respect of what happened before 1996 and I stand by my statement," he said.
He said that Jammu and Kashmir is part of India and will continue to be so in future as well but he asked the Union government to rethink on the autonomy issue.
"There is no question of going back on the autonomy issue. The resolution on autonomy has been accepted by the party and it has been adopted by the Jammu and Kashmir assembly. So it is a government document now," he said.
Asked if Dr Abdullah is planning to retire from politics after the the assembly election, he said that whatever Dr Abdullah did 'he did it with grace'.
"I hope he is around to guide us. But if he decides to retire he would do so with grace," he said.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
