National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday dismissed reports of divisions within the party after meeting several MLAs in Srinagar, amid alleged discontent among legislators over the cabinet expansion carried out by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in October.
“The baseless reports being spread that the National Conference is divided are completely false. This organisation is united, and those who think they can break this organisation should understand that it has never been broken and will never be broken. We have spoken to them. “Everyone was heard, and some steps will be taken soon, while others will be taken gradually. This coincided with Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’s resignation from both Parliament and the party. “Every time, we approach our party leadership with our issues. A few days ago, we were sitting together at one place, and the media projected it as though a separate party had emerged from the National Conference. No new party was formed.
Alongside this, our fight for the restoration of Statehood, as well as our fight for Articles 370 and 35A, will continue, and it will be taken to its final conclusion,” Abdullah added. Unhappy over the recent cabinet expansion in Jammu and Kashmir, 18 NC legislators reportedly held a closed-door meeting on Thursday to voice their concerns over the exclusion of senior members and the lack of regional balance, HT had reported earlier. Mehdi had earlier accused the party of failing to act on its commitments concerning the restoration of Article 370, the release of prisoners and the protection of people’s rights.
We will strengthen the party and the government so that people’s difficulties can be addressed.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, which was also attended by Omar Abdullah, Farooq said the party remained united, termed reports suggesting a split within the National Conference baseless and assured that the concerns raised by party legislators would be addressed. Their issues were genuine and have been given due consideration,” he said, according to ANI. He further said the party leadership had heard everyone’s concerns and would take steps to resolve them, adding that efforts would be made to strengthen both the party and the government. We had certain issues which we raised before our Chief Minister and Farooq Sahib, and they have assured us that these issues will be addressed,” Khan told reporters, according to ANI.
