J-K polls: Cong tie-up with Abdullah's NC exposes party's 'real face', says Gujarat CM

Ahmedabad, Aug 24 (PTI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday slammed the Congress over its alliance with the National Conference for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls and said the move exposes "the real face" of the party.

Polls to the 90-member J-K assembly will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1, while results will be announced on October 4.

NC chief Farooq Abdullah has announced a pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, where elections will be held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

"The Congress, which has been out of power for a decade, has once again shown its intention to play with the unity and security of the country in its greed for power," CM Patel said in a video statement.

"By allying with the Abdullah family's National Conference, the Congress party has revealed its intentions. The people of the country want to know how the Congress is supporting the promises made in the National Conference's manifesto," he said.

Restoration of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir's statehood as well as implementation of the autonomy resolution passed by the erstwhile assembly in 2000 are among the National Conference's 12 guarantees announced in its manifesto for the upcoming polls Patel asked whether the Congress supports the promise of a separate flag in Jammu and Kashmir and if it wanted to push the UT back into "the era of unrest by bringing back Article 370 and Article 35A".

"The real face of the Congress, which supports the divisive thinking and policies of the National Conference of giving autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, has now been revealed to the people. There is no doubt that the Congress has formed an alliance with the NC with the sole intention of gaining power," he further said.

Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were last held in November 2014.

On August 5, 2019, the BJP-led Centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the erstwhile state into two Union territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. PTI KA PD BNM