‘Should wind up INDIA bloc if…’: Omar Abdullah’s big statement amid AAP-Congress feud in Delhi

Omar Abdullah

Expressing dissatisfaction with the INDIA bloc's undefined leadership and agenda, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah suggested that the alliance should be disbanded if its purpose was limited to the parliamentary elections.

He even said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress – part of the Opposition INDIA bloc on the national level – should figure out how to fight with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Delhi assembly polls.

“The Aam Admi Party, Congress and the political parties on the ground there (Delhi) should decide how to fight in a better way with the BJP,” Abdullah said.

On being questioned about an RJD leader's statement that the INDIA bloc was meant only for Lok Sabha elections, the National Conference leader said, “As far as I remember, there was no time limit to the INDIA alliance. Unfortunately, no INDIA alliance meeting is being organised so there is no clarity about leadership, agenda, or our (INDIA bloc's) existence. They should wind up the alliance in case it was just for the Parliament elections.”

Abdullah also said that perhaps the members of the INDIA bloc will be called for a meeting after the Delhi elections, and a clarity would emerge.

Over the past few weeks, a war of words has erupted between the AAP and Congress in their campaign for the Delhi polls. Congress has accused Arvind Kejriwal's government of corruption and inefficiency, while AAP has hit back, claiming Congress is secretly aligned with the BJP.

As election day nears, key INDIA bloc members, including Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT), have thrown their weight behind AAP, leaving Congress increasingly isolated.

Assembly polls in the national capital will be held in a single phase on February 5 and the results will be declared three days later. The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in the national capital, has suffered setbacks in the last two elections and has failed to win any seat. In contrast, AAP dominated the last two polls in Delhi, bagging 62 and 67 seats respectively out of the total 70 seats.