Srinagar:
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and veteran leader of National Conference Farooq Abdullah said that whoever was in power in Kashmir, Delhi never trusted them. Delhi never understood the aspirations of Kashmiris. He said this in an exclusive interview with NDTV. Assembly elections are going to be held in Jammu and Kashmir and in this, the state’s oldest party National Conference is competing with traditional rival PDP as well as BJP, other small parties and independent candidates.
How exactly has Kashmir shaped up since 1947? 1947 was the time of atrocities, when the Maharaja had to flee. Jammu and Kashmir has seen many ups and downs. Sheikh Abdullah became the Prime Minister of the state and was arrested in 1953. Then there was a constitutional change in 1965. Later in 2019, Article 370 was repealed. You have seen Jammu and Kashmir through its history. How do you remember the change?
On this question, Farooq Abdullah said, “One thing I would say is a word called trust. It is a fact that whoever has been in power here, Delhi has never trusted them. They have always tried to dominate here. The aspirations of the people were never thought about. Only the aspirations of the leaders who are in Delhi were thought about. The state suffered because of this. I hope that in the future they will want to trust. Trust Muslims as much as you trust good Indians. This is a fact. There is no other reason responsible for the tragedies of this state.”
In your political career spanning six decades, was there any time when you felt that you were not in the mainstream of Delhi or politics? On this question, Farooq Abdullah said, “I never felt that I was not a part of it. I never felt like this in Delhi, but there has always been a factor of trust there. Misconceptions have been spread among the people. It may be good for them, but it is not good for the welfare of the nation. This is the biggest tragedy of this state.”
He said, “I went to Parliament. My father had told me not to join politics. I told my father that I need to go to Delhi. Because everything happens in Delhi. All conspiracies are hatched in Delhi. This is the tragedy of the state.”
Farooq sahab, we are also seeing that a lot of independent candidates are participating in these elections in the valley. Do you see this as a welcome change as people are getting more options from those parties? He replied, “Till now there was fear that people might come out and vote. This has strengthened democracy. Democracy has strengthened and I hope it continues, for this state. Independents contesting elections is good for democracy.”
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