If INDIA bloc was only for parliamentary polls, better wind it up: Omar

If INDIA bloc was only for parliamentary polls, better wind it up: Omar

If INDIA bloc was only for parliamentary polls, better wind it up: Omar ht_print | ByHT Correspondent Jan 09, 2025 03:51 PM IST Read this news in brief form Share Via Copy Link J&K CM says AAP and Congress have to take call on how to compete against BJP in Delhi, but after February 5 elections, INDIA bloc members should meet.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that the INDIA bloc should better be wound up if it was formed only for the parliamentary elections last year.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah with legislators during the orientation programme for MLAs in the central hall of the assembly complex in Jammu on Thursday. (PTI)(HT_PRINT)

Responding to media queries in Jammu, Abdullah said there was no timeframe attached to the INDIA bloc. He expressed regrets over lack of clarity being exhibited by its leadership.

“The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and other parties have to take the call on how they effectively compete against the BJP in Delhi. After the assembly elections, these parties should convene a meeting of all the alliance members. If this alliance (INDIA bloc) was only for the parliamentary elections then it should be wound up and we will work separately. But if it is meant for the assembly elections as well, we will have to sit together and work collectively,” he said.

The chief minister was responding to a question about an RJD leader’s statement that the INDIA bloc was meant only for the Lok Sabha elections.

“As far as I remember, no time limit was set for this. The issue is that no meeting of the INDIA bloc is being convened,” he said.

“Whether this alliance will continue is also unclear. Perhaps, the members of the INDIA bloc will be called for a meeting after the Delhi elections, and clarity would emerge,” he said.

He, however, refused to comment on how the AAP and other parties would perform in the polls. “I cannot say anything about this because we are not involved with the Delhi polls. The Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, and other political parties on the ground will have to decide how to compete against the BJP,” he said, adding “This time, we will have to wait and see what the people of Delhi decide about AAP.”

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly organised an orientation programme for the newly elected legislators in Jammu on Thursday.

“Many of us have been members of this House before, but that was when Jammu and Kashmir was a state. The system is different today. We need to understand how we are going to work and what the powers of this assembly are,” Abdullah said.

The chief minister also said that to familiarise everyone with the procedures of this system, the Speaker had organised the orientation programme.

“The deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha also participated in this exercise. I believe the experience of the senior members will prove beneficial. In the upcoming sessions, the MLAs will represent the people better and raise their issues effectively,” he added.

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