"Why would I meet PM Modi, Shah at night?" Farooq Abdullah on Ghulam Nabi Azad's claims
Feb 19, 2024
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 19 : Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) President Ghulam Nabi Azad and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah engaged in a war of words after Azad said that Abdullah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah 'secretly' at night.
This came after media reports claimed that Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the National Conference chief met PM Modi and Amit Shah at night.
Reacting to this, Abdullah said that he would meet the Prime Minister or the Home Minister during the day if he had to meet them, and he asked Azad the reason for defaming him.
"If I have to meet PM Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah, I will meet them during the day, why should I meet them at night? What is the reason that he has thought of defaming Farooq Abdullah? When no one wanted to give him a Rajya Sabha seat, I was the one who gave him a Rajya Sabha seat, but today he is saying all this," the National Conference Chief said.
"They want to malign my image and drag my name into every matter. He should tell the names of his agents who are sitting at the residence of the PM and Union Home Minister. He should tell people so that they can understand the truth," he added.
However, clarifying his remarks, the DPAP president told ANI, "I never claimed that he (Farooq Abdullah) met him (PM Modi). I said that through sources in Delhi, it has come to be known that he tries to meet central leadership that too only at night. I never said that he met or got an appointment."
Meanwhile, Farooq Abdullah announced on Thursday that his party will contest the upcoming parliamentary elections alone, a decision that is seen as another setback for the opposition INDIA bloc.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar on seat sharing, the National Conference chief said, "As far as seat sharing is concerned, NC will contest alone and there's no doubt about it."