Hyderabad: PM Narendra Modi on Monday hit out at National Conference leader Omar Abdullah over his reported statement seeking a separate Prime Minister for Kashmir, and asked the Congress-led opposition alliance to make their stand clear on his statement. The Congress is contesting the seven seats of Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the National Conference.
Addressing an election rally in Hyderabad, Modi said there were media reports that Omar Abdullah has stated that there should be a separate PM for Kashmir. “Two Prime Ministers for Hindustan? Do you agree with it? Congress has to answer and all the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ partners have to answer.
At an election rally in south Kashmir’s Bandipore, Abdullah had said those threatening to scrap Article 35A should know that Jammu and Kashmir would get back its posts of Prime Minister and “Sadr e Reyasat”. Unlike other states, Jammu and Kashmir had negotiated the terms and conditions of its accession with Union of India – that it would have its own “identity and constitution”.
If Article 35 is tinkered with, India has to renegotiate the accession, he said. Responding to Modi’s call to Congress and other allies to respond, Abdullah said in another tweet: ‘‘Dear friends in the Congress & other opposition parties. Please don’t hesitate to distance yourselves from my speech. In fact, call Modi ji’s bluff by doing exactly that.”
