Srinagar, Oct 12: Cabinet Minister Sakina Itoo on Sunday strongly dismissed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claims that the National Conference (NC) had approached it for an alliance, terming the assertion as the “joke of the year.”
Reacting to BJP Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma’s statement that NC leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, had shown interest in joining hands with the saffron party, Itoo said the claims were “baseless and laughable.”
“It is not the NC but the BJP that is desperate to be part of the government,” Itoo said according to news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), while speaking to reporters in Srinagar.
“We have a clear majority in the Legislative Assembly. Then why should we approach the BJP for an alliance? The Chief Minister has already made it categorically clear that he will never form an alliance with the BJP.”
The Minister said the National Conference stands firm on its political and constitutional commitments and will not compromise on its ideology for power. “Our stand is unambiguous. The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the party leadership have repeatedly said that NC will not have any political understanding with the BJP,” she added.
Itoo further said that the NC government has already passed a resolution in the Assembly seeking restoration of Article 370 and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. “We have taken a principled stand on the issue. The downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a Union Territory is an unprecedented and unfortunate decision,” she added.
