Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 24: Although former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti reiterated her commitment to supporting anti-BJP parties, the Congress and National Conference once again ditched the Peoples’ Democratic Party while stitching a pre-poll alliance.
In the second successive election, the leadership of Congress and the National Conference ignored PDP despite the fact that Mehbooba Mufti repeatedly reiterated her commitment to remain part and parcel of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.
On August 22, after meeting with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, National Conference president and former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah confirmed the alliance with the Grand Old Party.
Although seni In the second successive election, Congress and the National Conference have ignored PDP.
Dr Farooq announced the inclusion of CPI(M) in the alliance, he avoided the question of making the PDP part of the coalition.
Cong leadership wanted to include PDP in the alliance but the NC leadership was not ready to accommodate it.
The Congress leadership has succumbed to the NC pressure once again to ignore Mehbooba Mufti’ and her party.
Sources said that Congress leadership wanted to include PDP in the alliance but the NC leadership was not ready to accommodate its arch political rival in the alliance.
Sources said that instead of taking a tough stand to accommodate PDP, the Congress leadership succumbed to the pressure of the National Conference to once again ignore Mehbooba Mufti’s party.
Important to mention here that during the Lok Sabha elections the J&K Congress leadership decided to openly side with the National Conference.
However, despite both NC and PDP being INDIA bloc constituents, they will contest against each other in Assembly constituencies across Jammu and Kashmir. | 