Interview/ Omar Abdullah, former chief minister, Jammu & Kashmir
Omar Abdullah is arguably one of the most articulate politicians in India. A scion of the Abdullah family in Kashmir and a leader of the National Conference (NC), he has played various roles in politics, including a ministerial stint at the Centre and as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Omar spoke about a range of issues, including the troubles within the INDIA bloc and the likelihood of a tie-up with the BJP after the assembly elections. Excerpts:
Q/What is your opinion about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s view that J&K has suffered from parivarvad (dynastic rule)?
A/The BJP has a problem with only those parivars that are opposed to it. If you are part of the BJP or the NDA, then parivarvad is not a problem. People wanted the prime minister to talk about the restoration of democracy and of statehood and other issues that concern them. They wanted to hear what was being done to improve the electricity situation after the dismal power supply in winter. The daily wagers wanted to hear about their regularisation, the youth wanted to hear about job prospects and Kashmiri migrants wanted to know about the government’s plans for them to be able to come back. On all these important points, the prime minister was strangely silent.
Q/Why are you so dismissive of the BJP’s claim about investments in J&K post the abrogation of Article 370?
A/Where is the investment? Tourism, agriculture, horticulture and handicraft are key sectors in Kashmir. Show anything new, like a new hotel? The only visible project is a mall under construction in Pulwama. If the removal of Article 370 was solely for building a mall, locals could have done that by themselves.
Q/How about the BJP’s claim of peace in Kashmir?
A/One area where it is difficult to argue is that stone-pelting is not visible. Either it is very small in scale, or it goes almost entirely unreported. That change is there, which I acknowledge. However, we also have to ask ourselves whether this change is a result of a shift in mindset or simply a reaction to a draconian and unforgiving government. I mean, if you are dismissing employees because they might be related to somebody who is involved in something, or if you are demolishing people’s homes without due process, then it becomes clear why stone-pelting has decreased.
Q/Why is the INDIA bloc, which includes the NC, facing disagreements over seat sharing in J&K?
A/There are six seats, including Ladakh. The INDIA bloc already has three seats. The three seats that we have to discuss are Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh. Please explain to me what is the logic of the NC surrendering an INDIA bloc seat to the INDIA bloc. Either we have failed to understand the reason behind the INDIA bloc, or I am confused because I was led to believe that the INDIA bloc is to replace the BJP with a non-BJP government. I was never told that the INDIA bloc was being formed so that its members would have to give up their seats, where the BJP is not a factor.
Q/Isn’t the BJP a significant factor in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat?
A/The BJP likes to think it is a factor. But I believe that the BJP will find it very difficult to wash off their anti-Muslim history. What they did in Karnataka with girl students who chose to wear hijab, the demolishing of homes of Muslims by the Uttar Pradesh government and how the Citizenship (Amendment) Act has been brought in simply to target Muslims. All these will become a factor when the elections take place and will play out in Anantnag-Rajouri.
Q/Are you and Farooq Abdullah among the three candidates that the NC is fielding for the seats in Kashmir?
A/I am not going to talk about that for now. The most appropriate candidates will be selected by the party. For all three seats, we have a very strong shortlist.
Q/Are you ready to contest if the party decides to give you the mandate?
A/They can give me the responsibility of any of the seats. I will not shy away. But I have made it clear that under the current circumstances, I am not to contest the assembly elections. That does not change.
Q/The NC is not getting into seat-sharing with the INDIA alliance members in Kashmir, but what about the two seats in Jammu?
A/We are in talks with the Congress regarding the two seats in Jammu and one in Ladakh. As long as we receive a categorical assurance from the Congress that it will support us on the seats we contest in the valley, we will reciprocate the support on two seats in Jammu. In the case of Ladakh, we hope the Congress takes into account the sentiments of the people in Leh and particularly in Kargil.
Q/So, are the NC and the Congress fielding a joint candidate in Ladakh?
A/I hope it is not just the NC and the Congress; I would prefer an overall effort to have a candidate who opposes everything that happened on August 5, 2019. Let us see where the BJP stands.
Q/Why did the INDIA bloc lose momentum after the initial buzz?
A/If this question had been asked a month or so ago, I would have concurred. However, in the past few weeks, the alliance has managed to regain momentum. It has successfully negotiated seat-sharing in various states, such as in Haryana. Unfortunately, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party could not reach an agreement in Punjab, but at least they have been transparent about it. With these developments, there is hope that it can handle Bengal, too. Tamil Nadu appears to be in good shape. In Maharashtra, except for a few seats, the Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP seem to have an understanding.
Q/How do you perceive the performance of the INDIA bloc against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls?
A/Nobody believes it to be an easy battle. Unfortunately, we made the fight more difficult for ourselves, creating conditions where [Bihar Chief Minister] Nitish Kumar could leave. Having been part of those meetings, I know what led to his departure, which was extremely unfortunate. He was the architect of the alliance, the first person to bring everyone together in Patna. I sincerely believe that he had a rightful claim as the convener of the alliance, and there should have been no disagreement over it.
Q/Nitish also has a history of switching sides.
A/That is something Nitish Kumar ji needs to address. I don’t know anyone else who has been sworn in as chief minister four times in the same assembly. Considering there is still a year or so left for this assembly, who knows, there might be a fifth.
Q/ Do you think his leaving is a setback to the INDIA alliance?
A/ It would be foolish to suggest otherwise. A sitting chief minister and one of the founding members and driving forces behind the setting up of this alliance; his departure was not a favourable development for us.
Q/Why did Ghulam Nabi Azad level serious accusations against you and your father, suggesting that both of you were aware of the abrogation of Article 370?
A/Politics aside, when you have the sort of personal relationship that he claimed to have with us—his wife cried on the phone, telling my father that she was grateful because he had given Azad a Rajya Sabha seat—have some grace.
Q/Do you think assembly elections will be held in J&K by September 2024, as the Supreme Court has ordered?
A/It is a Supreme Court order. If the government cannot comply and wishes to be in contempt, I have no problem. The last time we had such a gap in J&K was from 1990 to 1996. If elections cannot be held by September as ordered, it suggests a worse situation than in 1996.
Q/How would you respond to the impression that the NC is trying to capitalise on the situation where the PDP has weakened after the abrogation of Article 370?
A/We also have people who have left us. If you want to punish me because my party stayed intact, how is that fair?
Q/Does this indicate that there will be no united front against the BJP in the assembly elections?
A/As I informed the Congress, I am keeping the door open for an alliance in the assembly. When the Congress asked about the PDP, I explained that we only have six seats in the Lok Sabha, and the possibility of seat sharing is non-existent. However, I am keeping a door open for the assembly polls. The onus is on the PDP.
Q/The BJP has strengthened its position in J&K. Is there a possibility that the NC and the BJP will form a government after the assembly elections?
A/I hope not. I don’t want that.
Q/Are you completely ruling out such a possibility?
A/I would be the last person to be happy with something like that. I believe the people of Jammu and Kashmir will not allow such a situation to arise. The BJP is not in a position that some people think it is in. If the BJP had the slightest confidence in being in such a situation, it would have held assembly elections by now. It would not have waited for the Supreme Court to announce a date. It is humiliating that instead of the Election Commission deciding on the assembly elections, the Supreme Court had to step in. How many times has the Supreme Court announced state elections?
Q/ After the Supreme Court upheld Article 370's abrogation, you said you felt “disappointed but not disheartened”. What made you think the court would reverse the BJP's decision?
A/ We went to court with the hope that our arguments would be strong enough. Those who objectively watched the proceedings believed the lawyers did their best. There was a general sense of optimism among people who had previously dismissed the idea of restoring Article 370 as a dream, like Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Q/ What is the status of the Gupkar Alliance, formed by regional parties to defend Article 370?
A/ We are tired of the PDP's constant attacks, even though they claim that some NC members targeted them. We have not spoken against the PDP. Over the past year, we have faced continuous attacks from the PDP's top leaders. Entering into an understanding with the PDP after such relentless attacks essentially means endorsing their narrative against us. Unless they mend their ways, it is going to be difficult to salvage anything.
Q/ Does that signal the end of the Gupkar Alliance?
A/ The Gupkar Alliance was never an electoral alliance.