Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday ruled out any tie-up with BJP, saying he would not even shake hands with its leaders from a distance in view of the comments of its president Amit Shah.
“Recently, the BJP president made comments about Jammu and Kashmir, my party (National Conference) and even my family. I perhaps would not even shake hands with BJP from a distance,” Mr. Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
Mr. Omar, who is also the working president of NC, said BJP leaders have not said anything that would make him rethink on a possible alliance with the party ruling at the Centre.
“I don’t think the BJP has said anything like that which would make us tie up with them,” he added.
Asked about Narendra Modi making his second visit to the state in quick succession, Mr. Omar said he had no problem with it as he was the Prime Minister of the country. “I have no issues with him (Modi) visiting Jammu and Kashmir. He is the Prime Minister, he can come whenever he wants,” he said.
Asked about Congress’s allegations that BJP was trying to create a wedge between communities in the country, Mr. Omar said he has seen media reports about it. “I have seen media reports. More than that, I cannot comment,” he said.
Mr. Omar, however, said there were attempts being made to polarise the situation in Jammu region of the state ahead of the assembly polls so that BJP can benefit from it.
“Polarisation attempts in Jammu are going on. Similar efforts were made ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and these attempts are going on. The intent is to create a vertical divide between Muslim and non-Muslim voters so that they (BJP) benefit from it,” he said.
On the decision of National Conference and Congress to go it alone in the forthcoming assembly polls in the state, Mr. Omar said his party had not got the Congress votes in the valley during the Lok Sabha polls as much as it should have.
“We did not get the Congress votes to the extent we should have got. So it is better that Congress look after its vote. If we had contested together in the hope of getting their vote but it would end up elsewhere, it is better Congress fight on its own,” he added.
