Will consider supporting NC in Rajya Sabha polls if they back our MLAs' bills: PDP

Srinagar, Oct 16 (PTI) The Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday indicated that it will consider supporting the National Conference (NC) in the Rajya Sabha polls if they back their MLAs' private member bills in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

Speaking to reporters here, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti revealed that NC chief Farooq Abdullah had called her to request support for his party's candidates.

Mehbooba said she told Abdullah that while the PDP's senior leadership would discuss the matter, she emphasised that the NC should support the PDP MLAs' private member bills in the assembly, including the Land Bill and the Regularisation of Daily Wagers Bill.

"If they (NC) help us pass one or two of these bills, then perhaps we can consider that (supporting them in the Rajya Sabha polls)," she stated. When asked about the completion of one year of the NC government in the Union Territory, Mehbooba criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for having "normalised" what she described as abnormal under the Centre's rule.

"There is a lot that can be said, but I want to highlight that what was happening during the governor's rule after 2019—arrests, raids by various agencies, and the surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir... no one could raise their voice. It was abnormal. The biggest service done by Omar for the BJP was normalising it all, suggesting that what was once wrong is now right, as he has shown no resistance," Mehbooba claimed.

She also addressed the promises made by the NC in its election manifesto regarding providing legal aid to prisoners in outside jails, noting that these promises have not been fulfilled.

"He (Omar Abdullah) is not even mentioning Article 370. The BJP's narrative has shifted to exclude discussions on the Kashmir issue and Article 370, focusing solely on statehood," she said.

Mehbooba asserted that by parroting the demand for the restoration of statehood, the chief minister has "also made the question of (restoration of) statehood very difficult".

The BJP claimed they would restore statehood, but by emphasising it, Omar has betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Arrests continue, Jamaat institutions have been attached, and schools have closed— all with the ministry's approval. This is a significant disservice over the past year," she added.

When asked how the PDP would have governed differently if in power under a Union Territory setup, Mehbooba cited Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "Kejriwal has provided free electricity and water, improved schools and health centres, legalised unauthorised colonies, and reduced corruption, all while managing his governance under the constraints of a UT," she explained.

"The (Delhi) LG had a gun trained on his head, but despite that, his (Kejriwal's) governance in a Union Territory is a model," she mentioned further.

"No one here has tied Omar's hands," Mehbooba added, questioning why the chief minister has not provided free gas, water, and electricity, increased the widow fund, or issued a report on reservations. "Claiming that the lack of statehood prevents these actions is simply an excuse," she stated. PTI SSB MPL MPL