On a day when Jammu Kashmir National Conference (NC) announced its candidates for the Lok sabha seats of Baramulla and Srinagar, Omar Abdullah has come down heavily on the BJP stating it had no courage to contest any Lok Sabha seat in Kashmir.
During the press conference, the party declared that Abdullah would run as the Lok Sabha candidate from Baramulla, while Shia leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi would vie for the seat from Srinagar.
“If the BJP’s candidates don not lose their security deposits, I’ll step away from politics.” Abdullah stated at a press conference that if the BJP truly believed in its promises of “development and normalcy,” it should contest in the three Kashmir Valley seats.
Abdullah responded to the BJP’s accusation about the lack of progress by the NC, PDP, and Congress in Jammu Kashmir by stating, “I believe the people’s response speaks for itself. If the Prime Minister’s words carry such weight, let the BJP contest with its own candidates and seek votes in its name.”
He continued, “If the BJP truly believes in its actions regarding Article 370 and its claims of development and normalcy, then they should field BJP candidates and witness their electoral performance.”
Abdullah addressing the BJP said, “Stop relying on alternate teams and face the challenge directly. If you claim we’ve achieved nothing in Jammu Kashmir, then we should see our security deposits lost in the elections.”