Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party Leader and Former Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu has alleged that the National Conference was prepared to form an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014.
Junaid Mattu wrote on X, “Before PDP, it was NC that wanted to align with BJP in 2014. Farooq Sahab, who was in London, wanted an alliance with BJP at any cost. Omar Abdullah also parleyed personally for an alliance – asked to be CM. BJP instead offered the DyCM post to NC – for which Sagar was ready. As the then NC Spokesperson, I personally remember the joyous and celebratory anticipation of Sagars at the whiff of AMS being DyCM in an NC-BJP alliance in J&K. There was another DyCM aspirant from NC in Jammu, but both CM and DyCM from Jammu weren’t thought feasible. This — as expected — made the Abdullahs anxious. Like Late Mohiuddin Shah — AMS was seen by the family as a potential usurper. Omar Abdullah personally met the BJP in Delhi, on the way to London. Asked to be CM. BJP again offered the DyCM post and rotational CM to NC. Omar Abdullah – months later – expressed internally that he would have gone with the BJP if he had more numbers in the assembly. Farooq Sb repeatedly regretted not beating PDP to a BJP Alliance and said he would have — if he weren’t unwell in London. This “B Team”, “C Team” nonsense that NC talking heads keep regurgitating is IRONIC. Poor kids don’t know how HARD NC tried to align with the BJP and get the CM post in a possible NC-BJP alliance. If NC wants to contest any of this, would be very happy to share details.
