BJP and NC will forge an alliance to form the next J&K govt. , says Sajad Lone

01-05-2023 : According to Sajad Lone, the chairman of the People’s Conference and former minister, the National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are in talks with each other and will form the next government in Jammu and Kashmir. In an interview with Karan Thapar on The Wire YouTube channel, Lone claimed that the two parties have been “confabulating” for over a year. He cited examples such as Omar Abdullah not issuing any statement in support of Rahul Gandhi when he was disqualified as an MP, and Farooq Abdullah attending a meeting called by the government which other opposition parties did not attend.

Lone alleged that during the campaign, the two parties will fight as opponents and accuse smaller parties of being BJP allies, but will willingly form an alliance thereafter. However, Lone denied that his People’s Conference would ever ally with the BJP in the future. He added that he had only agreed to be part of the PDP-BJP government between 2015 and 2018 due to his “majboori,” which no longer applies.

Lone criticized Farooq Abdullah and the National Conference, saying that they are the problem and cannot be the solution in Kashmir. He refuted former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik’s claim that the Prime Minister is ill-informed about Kashmir, instead calling him “very well informed.” Lone cited several examples where the Prime Minister was aware of the details of the situation and the names of officers down to SSPs, and said that the Prime Minister has a parallel source of information.

Lone also called for immediate elections and the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that his People’s Conference will fight on its own and will not ally with any party. In the interview, Lone passionately spoke about Farooq Abdullah’s alleged role in rigging the 1987 election, which he said was the starting point of disaffection and militancy in Kashmir.