Farooq Abdullah, Omar slam Ghulam Nabi Azad for claiming NC was consulted before Article 370 abrogation

PTI

Srinagar, February 19

The National Conference (NC) hit out at former J&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday for his comments that NC chief Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah were consulted before the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, saying he has “stooped so low” by making “baseless and senseless allegations”.

Farooq, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, said, “It is a sad day to see Azad stooping so low in his political utterances only to remain in the political circuit. A leader like him should not be circulating what he himself has termed gossip.”

The veteran leader, who has been the J&K CM thrice, reminded Azad about the support he got from the NC to win his Rajya Sabha seat in 2015. Azad gave an interview to a private television channel and claimed that NC leaders seek time with leaders in Delhi after 11 pm, which raises suspicion in the minds of people.

He also said there was a gossip in Delhi in 2019 that the Abdullahs had prior information that the provisions of Article 370 would be abrogated and that they were detained in accordance with their own wish. Azad also accused Farooq of playing the religion card to woo Hindu votes by visiting temples and singing “bhajans”. The interview was aired on Monday.

Farooq asserted that the NC had stood and will always stand for secularism and said it was time Azad explained the real reason for breaking away from the Congress and forming his own party in J&K.

Farooq said he, along with several other leaders, held a meeting with PM Narendra Modi ahead of the Centre’s August 5, 2019 decision to revoke J&K’s special status. “Whatever we have to do, we do it in broad daylight,” Farooq asked and described Azad’s statement as childish and laughable.

Taking to X, Omar Abdullah said, “Abdullahs knew about 370’ yet we were detained for more than eight months, including under PSA, and you were free, the only ex-CM in J&K free after 5th August,”

Reacting to Omar’s post, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Did you seriously expect anything else from him?”

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