Modi corners Cong, grand alliance over NC’s PM for JK pitch

Hyderabad: Hours after former chief minister Omar Abdullah called for restoring a separate prime ministerial post for the state of Jammu & Kashmir, PM Narendra Modi attacked the Congress for the remarks by the leader of its ally. Addressing a rally in Telangana Modi said, “What is the reason behind the Congress ally finding the audacity to make such statements?”
“National Conference -a significant ally of the Congress party- has stated that Kashmir should have a separate Prime Minister. Congress will have to answer for it. What is the reason behind the Congress ally finding the audacity to make such statements?” Modi asked.
He later added “Vo kehte hain ki ghadi ki sui piche le jaenge aur 1953 ke pehle ki stithi paida karenge aur Hindustan mein do PM honge, Kashmir ka PM alag hoga. Jawab Congress ko dena padega, kya karan hai ki unka sathi dal is prakar ki baat bolne ki himmat kar raha hai? (They say that they will turn back the time to the years of 1953 and Kashmir will have a separate PM, Congress will have to answer as to what are the reasons that their allies are making such remarks.)”.
Modi asked Congress and the grand alliance parties if they supported Abdullah’s pitch for a separate Prime Minister in the state. “Dear friends in the Congress & other opposition parties. Please don’t hesitate to distance yourselves from my speech of today. In fact, call Modi ji’s bluff by doing exactly that,” Abdullah urged the grand alliance parties.
Reacting to PM Modi’s statements, Abdullah said, “I’m humbled by the attention PM Modi pays to my speeches & very grateful to the social media cell of the BJP for highlighting my speech today, especially by WhatsApp’ing it to journalists. Your reach is far greater than mine.” “My party has always stood for the restoration of the terms of accession which Maharaja Hari Singh negotiated for J&K in 1947 & we have done so unashamedly,” Abdullah added.
“Rest of the princely state merged with the country without condition but we had said that we will have our own identity, our own constitution. We had our own (PM) too. By God’s grace, we will bring that back,” Abdullah had told the crowd while addressing a public meeting in Bandipora.