The political pulse in Valley has soared with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday taking a jibe at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, with the former claiming that “everyone has copied our manifesto”.
National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah also took a barb at Mehbooba Mufti while asking her not to field candidates against NC-Congress nominees for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir as their agenda is the same.
His remarks came a day after Mehbooba Mufti said the PDP would extend complete support to the Congress-NC alliance and leave all seats in the elections for the coalition if it accepts her party's agenda.
Omar Abdullah was addressing NC workers in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.
“We have not left out anything in the manifesto. Today, everyone has copied our manifesto. They should have kept some differences," he said, referring to the PDP's manifesto which was released by Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday, PTI report mentioned.
Omar Abdullah said his party promised to provide 200 free units of electricity if it comes to power and "they (PDP) also said they will provide 200 units".
"We said we will provide one lakh government jobs in the first year, they also put that in their manifesto. We talked about reopening (cross-LoC) routes, it is in their manifesto as well. We talked about keeping the doors of dialogue open and they also said so. Almost everything that my colleagues put in our manifesto, they also put it," he said.
On the PDP's offer, Abdullah said there was not much difference between the agenda of the NC and the PDP.
"They (PDP) said if the NC-Congress alliance accepts their agenda, they will not put up candidates. You have put all our agenda in your manifesto. You have already accepted our agenda and now there is not much of a difference between your agenda and our agenda. Then do not field candidates and come, we will build a better tomorrow for Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
Ahead of his speech, NC leaders asked Abdullah to reconsider his decision to not contest the assembly elections. Party workers chanted slogans asking him to contest elections from Ganderbal, the family bastion of the Abdullahs.
Omar Abdullah, however, said he does not know what the future holds.
"This is my first campaign meeting after the announcement of the assembly elections. It should have been in the constituencies going to polls in the first phase in south Kashmir. This may be a sign," he said.
"I have not come to snatch mandate from someone nor give mandate, the decision lies with the party and the party president. But I will say this thing that we will not take a decision without consulting the party workers," he added.
