National Conference will bring an autonomy resolution in the J&K Assembly within one month of being elected to power, its president Dr Farooq Abdullah said. He termed J&K autonomy as the “core agenda” for his party.
Abdullah made these remarks while welcoming the former BJP leader Gagan Bhagat into the party fold.
“If NC is voted to power with an absolute majority, we will bring an autonomy resolution in the Assembly and make it happen,” Abdullah said.
Even though NC has passed an autonomy resolution in the house in 1998 with a landslide majority, it was summarily rejected by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.
However, the autonomy for J&K has been a staple NC slogan since 1975. The party is raking it up to mobilize support in the run up to the twin Assembly and Parliament polls. Of late, the party received a political boost with two former PDP leaders and now an ex–BJP leader joining it.
“Our party will work for the development of all the regions and all the faiths living in the State, be it Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs,” Abdullah said with Bhagat by his side.
The BJP had earlier expelled Bhagat for his “anti-party and anti-Jammu activities”. One of the reasons was Bharat filing a petition against the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly by governor Satya Pal Malik,.
