With Prime Minister Narendra Modi skirting any statement on Article 370, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said Bharatiya Janata Party is shying away from committing on this contentious issue and is instead keeping its “feet in two boats” in Jammu and Kashmir which normally ends up “sinking".
The chief minister, who is the working President of National Conference, also dubbed BJP as an “opportunist” party with whom he feels there cannot be any relationship.
Omar, who heads the coalition government with Congress, made these remarks when asked to comment on BJP talking in different voices on Article 370 that grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir and avoiding making a direct statement on the issue during the assembly polls.
“Of course, they are avoiding to be caught in this issue because it will be a problem for them. In Jammu, Article 370 becomes a national issue, up in the hills in Jammu, they are silent about it and in Kashmir, their candidates say ‘if you touch Article 370, we will pick up the gun’....So they are contradicting themselves depending on the place in the state where they happen to be,” he said in an interview to PTI during the course of his hectic campaign for the assembly elections.
“They don’t want to commit themselves one way or the other. But, again, while trying to put their feet in two boats, you will end up sinking,” the 44-year-old Omar said.
Modi, who was in Kishtawar of Jammu region on Saturday, refrained from making any political statement on Article 370. The state is going for the a five-phase poll beginning November 25 and it is widely expected that the results on December 23 will throw up a hung assembly. But Omar refused to predict anything saying, “I never make predictions. It’s never been my habit. In school, I never predicted my exam results and I never predicted my election results.”
However, in case of a hung assembly, the chief minister made it clear that he would not be having any ties with the BJP which had accused him of being corrupt.
“Look I don’t want to speculate about what will happen after the elections. I think let’s wait and see what the assembly looks like and then we will decide what has to be done. I know people are very curious to know what we will do with BJP. As far as I am concerned, the party which is calling for abrogation of Article 370, wants to do away with our Constitution and our flag and seems to think that I am a thief is an untouchable party. I am not the one who will be accused of corruption by a person no less than the PM and one month from now, I will go and join hands with them.”
He added, “I am not opportunist like BJP. In Maharashtra they called NCP as Nationalist Corruption Party and today they are governing the state with their support. That’s not my politics. If I am corrupt now, then I will be corrupt three months from now. And if the BJP thinks of me like that, then I definitely will not be one to be forming any sort of relationship with them,” Omar said.
On the allegations levelled by the PM and BJP President Amit Shah, Omar replied, “You (BJP) have been in the government for the last six months at the Centre. Please tell us where (we have robbed the state). Amit Shah is famous for following people and tapping phones. Prove it (the allegation).”
In reply to another question, Omar was quick to list the 2010 summer agitation, which was sparked off by a fake encounter by army in Machil of North Kashmir by gunning down three civilians and dubbing them as militants, as an incident which will haunt him for a long time.
