The National Conference (NC) and the Congress, considered close to each other politically, have hit a collision course after the latter decided to contest in the upcoming urban local bodies (ULB) and panchayat polls in Jammu & Kashmir.
“It would have been better if Congress had supported parties from J&K in their attempts to safeguard the interests of State subjects. I will not hesitate in saying that the Congress has indeed bailed out the right wing BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) by announcing its participation in the upcoming polls without getting a guarantee from the Centre on where it stands on Article 35A and Article 370,” said NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar, while referring to remarks of State Congress chief G.A. Mir.
Mr. Mir, who on Wednesday announced the party’s decision to participate in the polls, accused both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the NC of staying away “under a well-thought out conspiracy.”
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“Mir’s remarks on the NC’s decision to stay away from polls is outrageous and far from truth. It’s sad that the Congress chief had to make such
Another senior NC leader Bashir Veeri said the Centre’s decision to hold elections in such circumstances, “wherein the State’s premier political parties have in unison asked for protection of Article 35A, is nothing but murder of democracy.”
The PDP also lambasted the Congress for its decision. “Congress has been the architect of erosion of J&K’s autonomy. It has always viciously engineered a plot against the sentiments of people,” said PDP spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir.
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The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday said it will not participate in upcoming urban local bodies elections as “the situation was not conducive for the polls.”
Besides the NC and PDP, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the J&K Democratic Party Nationalist have decided to boycott the polls, which will began on October 8