Surjewala accuses BJP of hypocrisy over Congress-NC alliance ahead of J&K poll

Kaithal (Haryana) [India], August 25 : Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hypocrisy for questioning his party's pre-poll alliance with the National Conference for the upcoming Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.
He pointed out that the BJP had previously allied with the National Conference (NC) and another Kashmir-based party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
"Have we ever asked the BJP whom they will ally with? Then why is the BJP questioning us? Had the BJP not allied with the National Conference or PDP in the past? They did. When you have done this before, why are you questioning us about our alliance?" Surjewala told reporters.
Surjewala stated that the biggest challenge in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is the restoration of democracy.
He criticised the BJP-led Central government for the "increasing incidents of Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks" in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, the BJP attacked the Congress for allying with the NC. BJP leader Amit Shah on Friday accused the Congress of repeatedly risking "the nation's unity and security to satisfy its greed for power."
Taking to social media site X, Shah said, "The Congress party, which has repeatedly risked the nation's unity and security to satisfy its greed for power, has once again exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family's 'National Conference' in the Jammu and Kashmir elections."
He further questioned the Congress party and their leader, Rahul Gandhi, asking if they support the promises made by the NC in their election manifesto.
Shah questioned if the Congress party supports NC's promise of "a separate flag for Jammu and Kashmir" and the "JKNC's decision to restore Article 370 and 35A," thereby "pushing Jammu and Kashmir back into an era of unrest and terrorism."
He further asked if the Congress supports the promotion of "separatism again by engaging in dialogue with Pakistan instead of Kashmir's youth" and the "National Conference's decision to start 'LoC Trade' with Pakistan," thereby "nurturing terrorism and its ecosystem across the border."
The pre-poll alliance was announced soon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge met NC chief Farooq Abdullah. After the meeting, Farooq said that the Congress-NC would contest all 90 seats in the assembly polls.
The formal announcement of the tie-up was made by NC patron Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar. "United we stand," JKNC posted on X. The announcement was made after Farooq Abdullah and his son, Omar met Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
"Congress and we (NC) are together. Tarigami sahab (CPM's M.Y. Tarigami) is also with us. I hope that our people are with us so that we can win and do better for the people. The alliance has been finalised, and by this evening, the details of seat-sharing will be announced. The Alliance is for 90 seats," Farooq Abdullah said.
"People have suffered much in the last 10 years. Statehood is the prime concern for us. And we want all the powers of the state. Our common programme is to fight divisive forces. Our doors are open for all; let's first win the election. My heart is happy today," the NC patron added.
The Congress and the NC had previously contested the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with each other. The National Conference won two seats--Anantnag and Srinagar. The Congress did not win any seats.
Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. The results will be announced on October 4.
The Election Commission has issued a notification for the first phase of assembly seats, covering 24 seats. This is the first assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.