National Conference Vice-President Omar Abdullah, on Thursday, said his party doesn’t look for solutions to the problems of Jammu and Kashmir outside the ambit of the Indian Constitution.
Addressing a one-day block convention of Amira Kadal Block in Srinagar on the current political situation in J&K, Omar said, “Those who are finding fault with whatever Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), should answer why they joined the platform in the first place. They should answer why they joined hands with the NC during the DDC elections. Why is it that the NC and PAGD were holier for them then? Don’t the questions merit answers from them? Every time they are the ones who question, now it is the time for them to answer.”
Lamenting the opportunistic politics of his political opponents, Omar said that NC’s position with regard to Jammu and Kashmir hasn’t witnessed any change. He maintained that the party looks for the issues concerning J&K within the ambit of the Indian Constitution and that none of what the NC is seeking out stretches its confines.
“We aren’t the ones who brought guns to Kashmir in the 90s and changed colours with changing times and joined the mainstream. We haven’t based our relationship with people on lies and deceit. We have always held that whatever the country’s constitution gives us, we will have it. They have to answer for their rowing disposition, not us, we never tricked youth to pick guns. We didn’t use people as cannon fodder to ax our grind. Those who did should answer,” he added.
Taking strong exception to the pulling down of the NC flags by the administration, he asked why the political space was being denied to the party.
“During our time many parties popped up. We didn’t impede the process. In recent times many of my closest colleagues parted their ways with our party. I let them go. If pulling down buntings, flags, and boards of our party would wish us off, then we had been cast off much before,” he said.