The Bharat Jodo Yatra's aim is not to "improve" Rahul Gandhi's image but to change the prevailing atmosphere of the country, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said on Friday, January 27, as he joined the Congress' Kanyakumari to Kashmir march passing through here. The former chief minister, however, sidestepped questions on the Congress' stand on the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, saying he does not want to delve into it. "We have joined this march not for the image of an individual but for the image of the country," Abdullah said.
He claimed that Rahul Gandhi did not start the yatra for personal reasons but due to his concern over the "attempts of creating communal tensions and targeting minorities" in the country.
"The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not aimed at improving the image of Rahul Gandhi but for improving the situation in the country," the National Conference (NC) leader told reporters upon his arrival in this highway town, 120 kilometres from Srinagar.
"This dispensation might be making friends with Arab countries but the fact remains that there is no representative from the largest minority of the country in this government." Abdullah said that it might be for the "first time since Independence that the ruling party does not have a single member of Parliament from the Muslim community. It shows their attitude".
Asked about Congress leader Digvijay Singh's remarks on the 2016 surgical strikes, Omar said his party has never questioned the operation.
"That is an internal matter of the Congress. We have not questioned and will never question the (veracity of) surgical strikes," he said.
On the Congress' stand on the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, Abdullah said, "We will fight the case for the restoration of Article 370 in court. The way the government is dragging its feet... tells us that our case is very strong." "The last assembly elections were held in 2014. This has been the longest period between the two elections in Jammu and Kashmir. It was not the case even at the peak of militancy," he said.
Claiming that this government wants the people of Jammu and Kashmir to beg for elections, Abdullah said, "We are not beggars and we won't beg for it."