NC first announced to go it alone in elections: Omar

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 20: Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said today that he had made it clear to All India Congress (I) Committee president Sonia Gandhi about 10 days back that the National Conference would be going it alone in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir but refrained from making public announcement to this effect as it would look “opportunistic”.
In tweets after AICC (I) general secretary, Incharge Jammu and Kashmir, Ambika Soni made an official announcement here that the Congress would go alone in the Assembly elections and have no pre-poll alliance with any political party including National Conference, Omar said: “I met Mrs (Sonia) Gandhi 10 days ago and conveyed her the NC’s decision to fight the elections alone. I had also thanked her for all her support”.
Omar said: “for it to be spun now as a Congress decision (to go it alone in the elections) is wrong and complete distortion of facts, not surprising but incorrect none the less”.
He said he had explained the reasons of NC decision to go along in the elections to Sonia Gandhi but also told her that “I wouldn’t be making a public announcement because I didn’t want to look opportunistic”.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of a function here this afternoon, Omar expressed concern over rising incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistan and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak to his Pakistani counterpart on the issue.
“I want the Prime Minister to talk to Pakistan authorities and tell them that ceasefire violations are not right,” Omar said.
Omar, who was replying to questions on repeated ceasefire violations at Jammu border by Pak troops, said, “Modi has good relations with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and they also communicate on twitter. They should get this message across that ceasefire violations are not right.”
Referring to China, Omar said, “We are not worried about China now because they don’t harm us anymore. But ceasefire violations from Pakistan side are a matter of great concern to us.”
“There has been loss of life and cattle and damage to property due to Pak firing, which has caused problems for us here,” Omar said.
Expressing concerns over plight of border people, the Chief Minister said: “Pakistan firing is dangerous for the people living in border areas.”
On a query about, journalist Vaidik’s meeting with Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT) Hafiz Sayeed recently in Pakistan, he said, “only politics is going on Vaidik’s meeting with Sayeed”.
He said “Hafiz Sayeed’s ideology is different. Anyone can meet anyone and there is nothing wrong in it. Neither the meeting of Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik’s meeting Hafiz Sayeed was wrong nor is the meeting of Vaidik.”

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