"Supporting terrorism, separatism": Uttarakhand CM Dhami slams Congress for pre-poll tie-up with NC for J-K polls

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 24 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday accused the Congress of supporting "terrorism" and "separatism" days after it announced its alliance with the National Conference for the upcoming Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The National Conference in its manifesto has, among other things, pitched for a dialogue between India and Pakistan.
Reacting to their pre-poll alliance, Dhami told ANI, "There is an upcoming assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir. In that election, the Congress party and the National Conference Party allied. It is cheating with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, in a way. They have been exposed before the public of Kashmir.
Dhami added, "The Congress party has been exposed before the country They are supporting terrorism, separatism and are opposing reservation ... for the Congress party and its allies, the country is later, the party is first."
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At a press conference on August 24, the Uttarakhand chief minister posed a volley of questions to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, regarding the alliance, asking "Does Congress support promoting separatism again by talking to Pakistan instead of the youth of Kashmir?
Dhami said, "I want to ask Rahul Gandhi whether Congress supports the National Conference's promise of a 'separate flag'? Do they want to push Kashmir back into the era of terrorism-separatism?"
The last date for filing the nomination papers is August 27.
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.
Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, the Congress and the National Conference announced a pre-poll alliance and said that "they have reached a consensus on most of the seats."
The Congress and the NC had fought the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with each other. The National Conference won two seats - Anantnag and Srinagar. The Congress could not win any seat.
Twenty four Assembly seats will go to polls in the first phase on September 18.
The seats, that will go to polls in the first phase, are Pampore, Tral, ulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, D H Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban, and Banihal.
A total of 90 assembly constituencies will go to the polls in Jammu and Kashmir. The last assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir was held in 2014. The counting will take place on October 4.