"Nothing To Do...": Omar Abdullah Draws INDIA-Congress Line On 'Vote Chori'

The INDIA opposition bloc has nothing to do with the Congress's 'vote chori' campaign, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has said. "The INDIA alliance has nothing to do with the Congress 'Vote Chori' campaign. Every party has the right to choose its agenda. The Congress has chosen to make SIR and vote Chori as their main issue. Who are we to tell them what to do? They can choose their issues, and we will choose ours," Abdullah told the media.

The Congress held a mega rally in the national capital to step up its 'vote chori' campaign. The main opposition has accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to manipulate the voting process. The poll body and the BJP have trashed these allegations.

Abdullah's remarks come a week after the National Conference leader said the INDIA bloc is on "life support". The remark drew strong responses from allies, with some endorsing Abdullah's remark and others disagreeing with it.

"We're sort of on life support, but every once in a while, somebody brings out his paddles and gives us a bit of a shock, and we get up again. But then, unfortunately, results like Bihar happen, and we slump down again, and then somebody has to wheel us into the ICU," Abdullah said during an interaction at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in Delhi.

He also said he believes that the INDIA bloc "pushed Nitish Kumar back into the arms of the NDA" and pointed to the alliance's failure to accommodate the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in the Bihar seat-sharing arrangement.

RJD leader Manoj Jha called the Abdullah's remarks "rushed". "If the alliance is on life support, Omar is also a part of the alliance. What are his attempts to revive it? This is not about one political party; it is the responsibility of all members. Responsibility does not end with taunting," Jha told news agency PTI.

CPI general secretary D Raja appealed to all parties of the alliance to do an introspection. "When the secular democratic parties came together to form the INDIA bloc, the whole objective was to save India and defeat the BJP. Now, what is happening, why is the INDIA bloc not functioning with the expected coordination?" Raja asked.

Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai said he did not agree with Abdullah. "I don't agree with that. Yes, defeats can make people feel unsettled, but that is exactly what the BJP wants. Those who are fighting the BJP and these fascist forces should not fall into this trap. Wins and losses are part of politics," he said.

The BJP had a laugh over the lack of cohesion in the opposition bloc. Senior party leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, "Omar Abdullah is wrong. INDI alliance is not on life support; it has died. INDI Alliance ended after the Lok Sabha election. A tribute should be paid to it. It has neither leader nor policy," he said.