SRINAGAR: Asserting that it was not a crime to align with the BJP, separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajjad Gani Lone on Friday termed the National Conference-PDP-Congress ‘grand alliance’ as opportunistic and claimed that he had the numbers to prove the majority on the floor of the House.
“I have not lost my mind to stake claim. I had got numbers to prove majority on floor
of the Assembly,” Sajjad told reporters here on Friday.
Sajjad’s J&K People’s Conference, with 2 MLAs, had the support of 25 BJP MLAs in the 87-member J&K Assembly. On Wednesday, he wrote to Governor Satya Pal Malik to stake claim to form government. He had claimed that besides having the BJP support, he was also having the support of over 18 MLAs.
He shot the letter to the governor minutes after PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote to the governor to stake claim to form the government with support from the NC and the Congress.Sajjad said, “We had the numbers. We were in touch with several legislators of other parties.” Defending his alliance with the BJP, Sajjad said, “The BJP is a national party and there is no crime in aligning with the party. Omar Abdullah started the process of joining the BJP and became the poster boy of the party during Vajpayee government. Mehbooba Mufti was in power for the three years with BJP.”
He claimed that they could have sailed through and escaped anti-defection law. Terming the ‘grand alliance’ as “opportunistic”, he said, “This alliance was formed to keep Third Front out of power.” Describing Mehbooba’s letter to the governor as “non-serious”, Sajjad said, “Have you read her letter. It does not appear like a letter written for staking claim on government formation.”
On dissolution of the Assembly by the governor, he said, “I have accepted the decision. Mehbooba is free to challenge the decision in the court. She should seek relief from the court. I am sure she will get the relief. And if she gets the relief, I am ready to prove my majority in the Assembly.”
“I am not any angel but they (NC and PDP) are also not any angels,” he said. Sajjad was a minister in the PDP-BJP government from BJP quota. He had formed alliance with the BJP before the 2014 Assembly elections.