‘He was in Rajya Sabha for 12 years because of us’: Omar Abdullah on Ghulam Azad’s criticism of NC

Jammu, Mar 11 (PTI) Democratic Progressive Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad has been elected to the Rajya Sabha twice with National Conference’s help and the difference in the “ferocity” of his attacks towards the NC and the BJP showed the leader’s “agenda”, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday.

Abdullah, responding to the recent attacks by Azad on the National Conference (NC), asked if the DPAP leader had forgotten all previous “help” provided by the NC.

“I would like the same party (Azad’s DPAP) to attack BJP with half the ferocity they attack us. It tells you their agenda. Everyone knows what it means to them when Azad praises the prime minister and criticises Farooq Abdullah sahib.

“Instead, Farooq Abdullah sent him twice to the Rajya Sabha when his own party was not interested in sending him to the Rajya Sabha”, Omar told reporters here in response to Azad’s remarks on the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during his election rallies.

Taking another dig at him, Omar questioned Azad whether he had forgotten the time when he used to call to remove PDP’s Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2005. Azad enjoyed power with us, the NC vice president said.

“He reached the Rajya Sabha because of our members. How his wife Shameema Ji wept while calling Dr Farooq Abdullah sahib that you gave a new lease of life in politics to Azad sahib. Has he forgotten everything? Time has changed. He has also changed,” he said.

Omar said that Azad should not forget that he was in the Rajya Sabha for 12 years due to the NC. “He is enjoying the house in which he lives today because of us,” the NC leader said.

On the central government’s plans to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act before the general elections, Omar asked, “Why have they not brought it till now. What are they waiting for? Why don’t they come out with the notification on the reservation of Paharis too? We want to know how you are going to implement it. Who are you including in Paharis? What you are saying in terms of reservation won’t benefit Paharis. It is to deceive them before elections to get their votes.”

He made the remarks shortly before the Union Home Ministry notified rules for the CAA on Monday.

To a question on the electoral bonds issue, the former chief minister said those who have “control” over the SBI are being “protected”.

“Who has taken the highest electoral bonds? Who is to be saved? They will not protect those who have taken the lowest bonds. They don’t want to inform people how many bonds have been taken by a particular party. Who has control over SBI. I and the INDIA alliance do not have that control,” he said.

“The good thing is that the Supreme Court has rejected their argument. They have told them to submit information by March 12. We will also come to know who has got what. We got very little. We have not even come on the list of ECI,” he said.

When asked about resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, Omar said it was “not just up to India but also on the other side” to start talks.

“Let us see how the situation develops. BJP will find itself in its own trap. If J&K is normal, why can’t you talk to Pakistan. If you don’t talk to Pakistan, it means things aren’t normal,” he said.