Srinagar, Oct 16: The political equation between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) appears to be entering a new phase, with PDP President Mehbooba Mufti indicating conditional support to the NC in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Speaking to the media in Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti revealed that NC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah had reached out to her seeking PDP’s backing for his party’s candidates in the polls.
Mehbooba confirmed that while her party would discuss the matter collectively before taking a final call, the PDP’s support would depend on the NC’s willingness to reciprocate in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by endorsing the PDP’s private member bills. These bills, she said, include the much-debated Land Bill and the Regularization of Daily Wagers Bill, both aimed at addressing long-pending public concerns.
“I told Farooq Sahib that we will deliberate on this request. But we expect their cooperation in helping us pass one or two of our private member bills. If they do that, perhaps we can consider extending support to them in the Rajya Sabha elections,” Mehbooba said.
The PDP chief’s statement marks a significant political development, suggesting that the party is open to strategic legislative cooperation even as it remains sharply critical of the NC-led government. Mehbooba also used the occasion to deliver a pointed critique of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s governance, accusing him of normalising what she described as an “abnormal environment” created under central rule since 2019.
“What happened after 2019, the arrests, raids, surveillance, and the silencing of dissent, was unprecedented. During the governor’s rule, people lived in fear. Today, Omar Abdullah has simply accepted that situation as normal. The biggest favour he has done to the BJP is to make the unacceptable seem acceptable,” Mehbooba remarked.
She further accused the NC government of failing to deliver on its key election promises, particularly those relating to legal aid for prisoners detained outside Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba said that the NC had also deliberately avoided discussing Article 370 and broader constitutional issues that once formed the core of its political narrative.
“The NC no longer talks about Article 370 or the political aspirations of Jammu and Kashmir. They have reduced everything to the restoration of statehood, a slogan that even the BJP uses. By repeating this narrative, Omar Abdullah has made the restoration of statehood sound like a settled issue, when in reality, it is far from resolved,” she asserted.
The PDP president also criticised the state administration for continuing to approve actions against civil institutions and religious organisations. “Even after one year in power, arrests continue, Jamaat institutions remain sealed, and several schools have been shut down with government approval. This has been one of the most disappointing aspects of the last year,” she said.
When asked how her party would have governed differently within the limitations of a Union Territory framework, Mehbooba drew parallels with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. “Kejriwal faced similar restrictions under the Lieutenant Governor’s control, yet he managed to provide free water, electricity, healthcare, and education, and even regularised unauthorised colonies. If Delhi could do it, what stops Jammu and Kashmir?” she questioned.
She argued that the excuse of not having full statehood does not justify inaction on people-centric policies. “No one has tied Omar Abdullah’s hands. If he truly cared for the people, he could have increased widow pensions, provided free gas or water connections, and presented a transparent report on reservations. Governance is about willpower, not merely constitutional status,” she said.