Srinagar, Oct 24: The BJP on Friday accused the Congress of acting as a “puppet” of the ruling National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that the party’s decisions are made in the “kitchen of Abdullahs.” The remarks came after Congress announced its support for NC in the byelections for the four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory.
BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, told reporters, “The Congress does only what the Abdullahs decide. Its office-bearers here follow orders dictated from Abdullahs’ kitchen, with approval from Delhi.” Sharma alleged that Congress lacks independence and that its backing of the NC was “expected.”
Turning his criticism to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sharma claimed that the NC-PDP alliance demonstrates that “both these families will not allow a common man to enter politics and power.” He added, “Two families in J&K want only their politics to continue, especially in Kashmir. They come together whenever they feel threatened and use their political cleverness to maintain dominance.”
When asked if any abstentions in the Rajya Sabha voting would benefit the BJP, Sharma replied, “You decide, you analyse who will benefit. We will achieve our aim.”
Meanwhile, the Congress stated that its support for the NC is a move to stand united against what it calls the “BJP agenda of atrocities and subjugation,” putting aside differences in the “paramount challenges” facing the region.