The patriarch of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah has seen his troubled state go through crises for half-a-century, and often been a bridge between New Delhi and Srinagar. As the J&K Assembly elections come to a close on October 1, the 86-year-old never-say-die president of the National Conference (NC) tells The Indian Express in an interview that he intends to remain in national politics “till I die”. He also talks about the unusually large number of Independents in the fray, his impression of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, what his party would do if the elections throw up a hung Assembly and whom the NC could align with. “We are open to everything except the BJP,” he said. Excerpts: * Until some weeks ago it was believed that the NC and the Congress might sweep the J&K polls. Has the scene been muddied with the large number of Independents in the fray? Even I don’t know. It’s (now) up to the people. We have tried to tell them the truth… All these people who are candidates are the A, B and C teams of the BJP… the Government. I hope the people decide very wisely… They (the people) know they (a reference to Engineer Rashid) were released to divide our votes. But they won’t be able to divide our votes. Ya hum bewakoof hain, ya woh bewakoof hain (Either we are fools, or they are). A man charged with receiving Pakistani money, also calling for a plebiscite and a free J&K, how has he suddenly become a friend of the BJP? * Who do you think is behind it? I am sure the Government is behind it, thinking they can divide the people. Why not in Jammu? They think they will sweep Jammu. But Jammu is not the same… The ‘Hindu, Hindu, Hindu’ has disappeared. They have realised they have lost their lands, almost all contracts are given to outsiders, even people who work are brought from outside. Their children are highly educated but are not able to get jobs…. * Suppose it’s a hung Assembly… At that time we will sit down and decide what to do. It is not going to be easy to govern with the present powers the Lieutenant Governor has. We want statehood to be restored immediately. All these special powers of the LG should be removed… They will have to do it. Otherwise, there will be an agitation. * A hung Assembly will mean either you rely on the Independents or on the PDP. It is easy to speculate, but we don’t know if it will be a hung Assembly. But at no cost are we going to be a part of the BJP. * That is clear? Absolutely clear. * One theory is that the NC will be the largest party in the Valley and the BJP in Jammu, and that both regions will be represented if you come together (like in 2014, when the BJP and PDP joined hands). There is no question (of it happening), those formulas don’t work. We don’t want hate politics. * Can you take the support of the PDP? Who knows? Let’s see. Nothing is ruled out in politics, except (that) we are not going with the BJP. * So you are open to the PDP? We are open to everything other than the BJP. * Even if it means taking the support of the Independents? Koi parwah nahi (We don’t care about that). If they have the same values as we have, I am sure the Congress and us won’t deny them entry. We want a strong government, an inclusive government. * What if the Assembly is horribly hung and a government cannot be formed, and it leads to President’s Rule? It doesn’t matter. There will be another election. We are ready to fight. People will realise what they have lost by giving votes to A, B and C. * Engineer Rashid has said that if Rahul Gandhi commits himself to restoring Article 370 if the NC-Congress form the government, he would be ready to join the INDIA bloc. Which bloc does he (Rashid) represent today? Is he not part of the BJP (bloc)? Who is he fooling? * So, in effect, you won’t take the Rashid group’s support? Dekhiye, woh conditions laga rahe hain (See, they are putting conditions). The purpose is to weaken the (INDIA) alliance in Delhi. It’s not easy for the Congress to say we will support (Article) 370, we understand. But Rahul Gandhi was the first man in Parliament who defended Article 370. That should not be forgotten. * If you come to power, will there not be huge pressure on you to pass a resolution in the Assembly (for the restoration of Article 370)? It’s not a question of passing a resolution. We are going to go to the Supreme Court, again and again and again. The Supreme Court earlier, in two judgments, had said this is a permanent thing. It is only this Supreme Court – and we don’t know how many judges agreed with it (validating the abrogation of Article 370). * So your strategy on Article 370 is going to be legal? Exactly, legal. * But you have made a promise to restore Article 370. We don’t want to shake the boat, we have to move forward, we have to help the people progress, get jobs, remove the contracts given to outsiders, restore land back to the people. The first right is of the people of the state. * When you say you don’t want to rock the boat, what exactly do you mean? Why should we not first look at what we can do? We will fight for Article 370, there is no question (about it). It took them 75 years to remove it… First and foremost is to restore the state’s honour. * What do you attribute the large voter turnout to this time? Does it indicate a shift in the thinking of the people of J&K? It is hate against what the BJP did. They want to show their power. They not only feel suffocated, their honour is lost. We are slaves of Delhi. We are a Muslim-majority state which joined India, they want to completely remove that. They want to change the demographic position of the state. * Omar Abdullah expressed his displeasure saying the Congress was not putting its best foot forward in Jammu. They (the leaders) came… * Everywhere in the Valley people seem to have a good view of Rahul Gandhi, unlike in the past. No doubt there is a shift. They see in INDIA a face that is completely different to the BJP and RSS. He has shown the courage to fight them in Parliament… He wants to build an India where there is no hatred, where we live in honour and dignity. * Given this, do you think the Congress failed to encash on his appeal? I think we learn from our mistakes… I hope so… Unfortunately after their rout, the Congress got demoralised, it just went into a limbo. Now they are emerging again. * If the NC-Congress comes to power, will Omar be the Chief Minister again? That has to be decided by the two parties. I would not like to comment on it. * Is there a chance that you could take over? I am too old. It needs a younger person. But let me tell you, I will remain in national politics till I die. * Do you think the NDA government at the Centre will last its term? The government in Delhi, it is dependent on two states – Bihar (Nitish Kumar) and Andhra Pradesh (Chandrababu Naidu). The minute these two realise that the BJP’s politics is not accepted by people – they have a large Muslim minority in their states – this (NDA) government will fall… Nobody can tell when… It can happen tomorrow, after a year, or anytime… They (the BJP) know it also. That is why they are in a hurry. Otherwise, tell me, ‘One Nation One Election’, why are they hurrying it?. And how will this work in a federal structure… I am sure Nitish and Chandrababu also realise this… Tomorrow, Chandrababu’s Andhra, that state government falls, it may mean there will be President’s Rule till the next elections. So, they will do exactly what they did in Kashmir… One day you will find most states are Union Territories. Jammu and Kashmir was an experiment. * When you and Omar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi two days before the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, what did you say to him and what did he say to you? I told him very clearly that (with) this troop movement in J&K, are you planning a war? He just kept quiet… revealed nothing at all. I think Omar might remember better. Suddenly we see tourists being told to leave their hotels and being put in buses… Then the (Amarnath) Yatra stopped… That’s why they removed the government of Mehbooba (PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti) because, if there was a government, it (the abrogation of Article 370) couldn’t have been done. * You have said many times that the party that rules in J&K should work in tandem with the Centre. I’d like to remind you that I was in Houston (US) when Rajiv Gandhi’s government fell and V P Singh came to power. So the media asked me while I was in hospital what my response was. I said that as far as my relationship with the Congress is concerned, that will remain, but states have to work with the government. * So if you come to power now, you will have to handle the BJP government at the Centre. We will have to handle them, and we will handle them with strength. We are not going to be beggars. What is due to our state will have to be given. * Do you think the Modi government has handled India’s foreign policy well? So much is going on in our neighbourhood and globally, with the Ukraine and Gaza wars. India is a big brother of the neighbours. SAARC must be restored. That will bring all these nations together. Then we can work together for the betterment of all these countries, whether Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, even Afghanistan or Pakistan… It will strengthen this area and the forces against us will be neutralised. * If the Opposition is in a position to form a government at the Centre, will Rahul Gandhi be accepted as PM? That decision will be made by parties which will be sitting together. I have learnt, ‘Kabhi aagey mat chalang maaro, waqt par faisla hoga (Don’t jump ahead, decisions will be taken when it is time)’.
