New Delhi: National Conference president and the former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah has stated that his party will challenge the Delimitation Commission’s proposals in the Supreme Court.
In an interview to veteran journalist Karan Thapar of ‘The Wire’, Farooq said that he believed the decision both to carry out a
delimitation exercise and to award more seats to Jammu than Kashmir was “a breach of the constitution as well as of guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.”
During the interview, NC president shouted in anger but also dissolved in tears as he spoke about the mood and situation in the Kashmir Valley. He said the people of Kashmir felt “rejected.”
“They feel as if they are being pushed away. The situation is like a volcano which can explode any moment,” he said. Asked what would be the outcome if the volcano exploded, he said, “It will take the nation with it and nothing will survive.”
He, however, made clear that if elections were called before statehood was restored his party would fight. He also insisted the National Conference would win.
About the recent sharp increase in violence in Kashmir, particularly in Srinagar, he said this was a response to what was being done to Muslims, Christians and Dalits in the rest of the country.
Speaking about what it’s like to be a Muslim in Narendra Modi’s India, Farooq had a short, sharp, blunt answer, “It’s terrible.”
NC president was in tears when he spoke about the lack of opposition unity and how “ego” was dividing parties like the Trinamool Congress and Congress. He said he believed Mamata Banerjee felt deeply hurt by the fact Congress did not help her but instead fought against her when she was being challenged by the BJP in the recent state elections in West Bengal.