Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Apr 13: National Conference vice president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said his father Dr Farooq Abdullah not contesting the Lok Sabha polls does not signal an end to his electoral career.
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Omar was responding to a question here today whether Farooq might stage a comeback when Assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir.
“With my father, I have learnt over time that you never say never, ever. So, until the very last breath, and may God give him many more of them, do not ever write him off for anything,” he said.
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On his sons, Zahir and Zameer, being groomed for active politics, the NC leader said they have done nothing that warrants such a conjecture.
“Have they made speeches, have they got mandates, have they done any active politics? As sons or grandsons, they help out wherever they are needed,” he said.
“They are trained lawyers, if once in a while the party takes legal advice from them, where is the harm? But, have you seen them actively campaigning, seeking a mandate? I have not seen it,” he added.
On the BJP accusing them of promoting dynastic politics, Omar said the ruling party at the Centre does not have problem with political families as one-fifth of its candidates for Lok Sabha polls come from such families.
“Look, I cannot help propaganda. But I continue to maintain that the BJP has no problem with families in politics. The BJP’s problem is with those families that oppose the BJP. Otherwise, you tell me, doesn’t the BJP have families in politics? I was reading a newspaper article the other day that suggested that one-fifth of the mandates that the BJP has distributed in this Parliament election all belong to BJP political families,” he said.
“How is it that Pawar sahab’s family is a dynastic party, but Ajit Pawar is not dynastic? When Ajit Pawar’s wife fights against Supriya Sule, that is not dynastic politics? The BJP has no problem with that,” he said.
“When the Home Minister of India and others meet Uddhav Thackeray’s cousin, Raj Thackery, that is not dynastic? Other than having the Thackeray surname, what else is there? When the BJP ties up with Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh. Naidu is NTR’s son-in-law, that is how he got entry into politics, is that not dynastic? “How many second and third generation leaders are there in the BJP today… all these youngsters who are now coming up, whether it is Sushma Swaraj’s daughter, or the Minister from Hamirpur in Himachal (Anurag Thakur). How many names do you want me to list out for you, there is no end to it,” the NC leader said.
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