Amid recent statements by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah hinting at a potential alliance with the BJP-led NDA, seasoned leaders from Jammu and Kashmir have disclosed that the Abdullahs had reportedly pursued an alliance with the BJP even after the revocation of Article 370.
According to veteran politician Ghulam Nabi Azad, Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah were allegedly engaged in calculated attempts to form an alliance with the BJP as far back as 2014. Azad, who founded the Democratic Progressive Azad Party after departing from the Congress, made these revelations during an exclusive interview with India Today TV.
Confirming these claims, senior BJP leader Devendra Singh Rana, who switched allegiance from the National Conference three years ago, asserted that efforts to forge an alliance with the BJP persisted even after the contentious abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Rana elaborated that despite widespread protests by various Valley-based political parties against the revocation of Article 370, the National Conference continued its pursuit of an alliance with the BJP. However, he noted that the BJP leadership consistently rejected such overtures from the National Conference, even after the scrapping of Article 370 in August 2019.
Moreover, Rana recalled instances from 2014 and 2017 when the National Conference leadership, led by Farooq Abdullah, purportedly sought to form a government with the BJP, only to face rejection from the BJP high command on both occasions. He emphasized that even after the momentous events surrounding Article 370, the National Conference persisted in its efforts to collaborate with the BJP, despite facing resistance from the latter's leadership.
These revelations by Azad and Rana cast a stark contrast against the public stance adopted by Farooq Abdullah following the abrogation of Article 370. Farooq Abdullah's subsequent reactions, including his comparison of the revocation to a "carved body" and his vow to challenge the decision in court, seem at odds with the alleged behind-the-scenes negotiations with the BJP.
