SRINAGAR: Reacting to former RAW chief A S Dulat’s claim in his new book that former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah privately supported and was willing to facilitate the abrogation of Article 370, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said the Abdullahs and the National Conference can go to any extent to stay in power.
The opposition parties have hit out at Abdullahs and NC over Dulat's revelations.
"I was not surprised after reading it because the National Conference can go to any extent to be in power. It has been doing this since 1947. At times, they wanted to go with India if given power, and if not in power, they advocated self-determination. Sheikh Abdullah was in jail for 22 years along with other people, but when they (NC) came to power after 22 years, they gave up their self-determination plank,” Mehbooba said.
Former RAW chief A S Dulat, in his new book 'The Chief Minister and the Spy' has revealed that Abdullah privately backed Article 370 abrogation.
“Farooq Abdullah told me that if he had been taken into confidence by the central government, he could have helped Delhi. He would have found ways on abrogation of Article 370 without thousands of troops being sent there and without enforcing lock down and arrests and without anybody having been upset,” Dulat has said.
Taking a dig at NC, Mehbooba said, “You know how they rigged the 1987 Assembly election for power. It resulted in guns coming to the Valley (eruption of militancy) and over one lakh people were martyred and kids were orphaned”.
“It is not the first time that they have attempted to reconcile with the BJP. Late Devender Raina, who was a former NC leader and close aide of Abdullahs, had said that when talks on government formation were going on between PDP and BJP in 2014, Omar visited Delhi many times and offered unconditional support to the saffron party in forming the government," she added.
On Dulat’s revelation that NC backed Art 370 abrogation, the PDP chief said, “NC has got the role to normalise things in J&K. Whenever excesses have taken place in J&K, NC has normalised those excesses.
"When militancy was at its peak in 1996, who was brought from London to contest election? Abdullah should have told them at that time that he would surely fight the elections and help in improving the situation in J&K but give something for J&K people, who have given so much sacrifice. It is not talk of Azadi but at least he could have talked about autonomy at that time. He should have told them to give something for the people of J&K," she added.
She described Dulat as very close to Abdullahs and his sympathiser.
“Nobody can deny his closeness with Farooq Abdullah”.
“The secret that he is revealing today is not to create a problem for Abdullah but to help him. He is giving a message to Delhi that Abdullah is ready to go to any extent with you, and you should trust him. But, unfortunately, people in Delhi don't trust Abdullah as they have seen the character of the NC. The party has no credibility. When in need, they betray Kashmiris and when in need, they betray Delhi," she said.