Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday ruled out any alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to expedite the restoration of statehood, declaring he would rather step down than compromise politically.
Speaking at an event in Achabal, Anantnag district, Abdullah said, “If you (people) are ready, then tell me, because I am not ready to make that trade. If it is needed to include the BJP in the government, then accept my resignation. Make any MLA here the chief minister and form the government with the BJP.”
The Chief Minister admitted that joining hands with the BJP could have potentially accelerated the statehood process. “Should we have included the BJP in the government? There was a possibility that by including the BJP in the government, we could have got a gift. They would have granted the statehood to us sooner,” he remarked.
However, Abdullah insisted that he was not willing to compromise on his political principles for the sake of faster statehood. “I am not ready to make any political compromise for statehood,” he asserted.
