Former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu claims that NC president Farooq Abdullah met BJP representatives in Pahalgam twice ahead of the poll results. National Conference (NC) on Friday denied having any ‘back channel’ talks with parties outside the INDIA bloc, of which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also a part, for the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, both the NC and PDP did not form any pre-poll alliance in the Union Territory for the elections, which were held in three phases from September 18 to October 1 after a decade. The results will be announced on October 8, alongside Haryana.
National Conference’s reaction has come after former mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “Which BJP representative did Dr. Farooq Abdullah meet at Pahalgam not once but twice? What negotiations are being held in Pahalgam? What happened to all the stentorian rhetoric of BJP being forbidden and prohibited? The more that things change, the more they remain the same.”
When a user questioned whether it was a rumour or had some truth, Mattu responded by saying, “Rumours? The NC-BJP negotiations have happened in Pahalgam headed by Dr. Farooq Abdullah himself — accompanied by the “apolitical” mediators. Let NC deny this, I’ll be happy to share the names, details, venue and times of the two meetings.”
Without naming anyone, People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone, in a veiled reference, wrote on X, “And now off to Delhi to meet his masters. What thuggery people have gone through.” However, the Farooq Abdullah-led NC said that those sensing their impending defeat have resorted to spreading such baseless accusations.
“JKNC categorically denies the unfounded rumors of ‘back channel’ talks with any party outside the INDIA Bloc. Those sensing their impending defeat have resorted to spreading such baseless accusations. We urge the public, who have placed their trust in us, to disregard these false claims and not be swayed by rumor-mongering,” the party said in a statement.
