National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s remarks at a Baramulla party gathering on October 24 have sparked a row, with the BJP calling his comments “seditious and anti-national” and demanding legal action.
Addressing the gathering, Abdullah questioned whether the people of Jammu and Kashmir could expect justice from the Centre. “What can you expect from Delhi? Do you expect them to deliver justice for you? Have the courage to fight them, or you will be wiped out, and your identity will disappear,” he said, according to the report.
Without directly naming Pakistan, the National Conference president referred to the neighbouring country’s efforts to raise the Kashmir issue internationally, suggesting that these efforts were keeping the region’s concerns alive. “They are silent today because of the pressure from the world. Our neighbour is constantly after them. He goes everywhere saying that the Kashmir issue has not been resolved. He is protecting us; otherwise, their intentions are not good,” he said.
Abdullah urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to stand united for their rights, warning their identity and future could be at risk. At the same time, he maintained that the people of the region had never rejected their Indian identity, saying they had repeatedly affirmed their accession to India. “We never said that we are not Indians. Time and time again, we affirmed that we acceded to India — to the India of Mahatma Gandhi, the India of Jawaharlal Nehru, the India of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad,” he said.
The former chief minister also criticised the Centre’s policies, alleging that they had kept the people of Jammu and Kashmir dependent rather than enabling them to become self-reliant, and said people could safeguard their dignity, honour and rights only by standing on their own feet.
Abdullah also raised concerns over the mandatory service requirements for medical students and doctors in Jammu and Kashmir, saying those who fail to complete two years of service in villages, hospitals and other designated areas must pay Rs 40 lakh to the administration. He further alleged that files were being delayed despite the division of responsibilities between the Lieutenant Governor and the elected government, and that statehood had not been restored even two years after commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The remarks drew a strong reaction from the Jammu and Kashmir BJP. Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur condemned the National Conference president for portraying Pakistan as a force working in the interests of Kashmiris while questioning the Centre’s intentions, describing his remarks as “seditious and anti-national” and demanding that he be booked. “It was deeply unfortunate that a senior political leader was questioning India’s intentions towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir while projecting Pakistan as a force working in their interest,” Thakur said.
The controversy has once again brought the political differences between the National Conference and the BJP over Jammu and Kashmir’s political future and the restoration of statehood into focus, with the BJP demanding legal action and Abdullah standing by his call for unity and rights.
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