Will participate in all elections, but won’t beg for it: Dr Farooq

Srinagar, May 1: National Conference president and Member Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the party will not skip any polls but will also not “beg” for holding elections in Jammu & Kashmir.
Speaking to the media persons in Jammu, Abdullah said the party would neither skip any of the elections nor beg for holding the exercise in J&K. He was responding to a question on the speculations on holding Panchayat elections in the Union Territory.
“It is good if panchayat elections will take place; that is the basic democracy,” Farooq said, adding, “Whether it is panchayat or DDC elections, we will contest all and won’t skip any; but we also won’t beg for holding the polls.”
On allotment of residential facilities for non-locals in Jammu, the NC president termed it “an effort to end the Dogra language and culture”, saying “outsiders will settle here leaving jobs and everything for them”.
“And I am sorry about that as none of the BJP leaders have spoken anything about it, and when the time will come, NC will definitely take necessary steps,” he added.
The MP said that the G-20 meeting should have also been held in Jammu. He lashed out at the BJP leaders saying none of those who were shouting ‘Jammu and Dogra’ raised voices on not holding the meeting in Jammu.
“Is Jammu taken for granted or do they think that it is in their pocket? Shouldn’t the G-20 meeting be held here for the people of Jammu? It is very sad that none of the BJP leaders spoke about it,” he said.
Speaking about the joint opposition platform against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Farooq Abdullah said, “I have no magical lamp, but we are trying”.
Reacting over former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik’s support for the abrogation of Article 370 and his remarks on the Pulwama attack, Abdullah said, “Satya Pal Malik himself acknowledged that the Pulwama incident was their mistake and that they did not provide five aircraft for the transportation of force personnel.”
On the recent Poonch attack, he said that even after the abrogation of Article 370, “terrorism” has not ended.
“Has terrorism been finished as was claimed after the abrogation of Article 370? There is no Article 370 (now) from years but terrorism is still there,” he said.