‘Unfounded rumours’: National Conference denies ‘back channel talks' for govt formation in J&K

A former Srinagar mayor had claimed that NC chief Farooq Abdullah held two meetings with BJP representatives recently. (file Photo: PTI)

The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) on Friday denied any discussions with parties outside the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties to explore the possibility of joining hands and forming a government in Jammu and Kashmir.

The INDIA bloc also includes the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. The PDP, which was last in power in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, did not tie up with any party in the elections held in three phases from September 18 to October 1.

The Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference, on the other hand, contested the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in a pre-poll alliance with the Indian National Congress. While the JKNC contested 51 of the 90 Assembly seats in the Assembly, the Congress fielded its candidates in 32 seats.

“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 National Conference said in a statement on X on Friday.

The party’s reaction apparently came in response to former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu’s post claiming that Farooq Abdullah met a BJP representative twice in Pahalgam.

“The NC-BJP negotiations have clearly commenced. NC leadership is now speaking to authorized representatives from the BJP and an unofficial mediator is ‘mediating’. Initial groundwork includes the creation of a “larger interest” fig-leaf to justify the betrayal in Kashmir,” Mattu posted on X.

“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,” he added.