New Delhi:
People's Conference chairman Sajad Lone on Tuesday claimed that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had met BJP president Amit Shah after the 2014 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir with an aim to form the government in the state. Lone was campaigning on the last day for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in Kashmir.
"Omar Abdullah met BJP president and he was accompanied by two other persons. They were with him (Shah) for two-and-a-half hours. He asked for support for government formation saying I will be chief minister for three years and for three years, there will be a BJP chief minister," Lone, who himself has been an ally of the BJP, claimed while addressing an election rally at his hometown Handwara in north Kashmir Kupwara district.
Lone claimed that the mobile coordinates of Abdullah and the BJP leaders will establish that there was a meeting.
"I received threats the entire night. I was told if you reveal this, we will get the BJP to issue a denial...," he added. He also went on to say that there would be a second part to his claims after April 11.
There were murmurs about such a meeting in 2014 but all the speculation were put to rest by BJP general secretary Ram Madhav then who had tweeted on December 24, 2014, that no such meeting had taken place.
"News about BJP leaders meeting NC leadership in Delhi baseless," Madhav had tweeted in 2014.
Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 11 and polling would be held over seven phases through May 19, followed by counting of all votes on May 23. The assembly elections in four states – Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh – will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls. Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will not be held along with the general elections. Since the J&K has been dissolved, the EC is bound to hold fresh polls there as well within a six-month period, which will end in May. The Centre and the state administration, being managed by the Centre-appointed Governor, are against holding the two elections together.
