J&K polls: NC chief Abdullah urges people to unite against ‘country-splitting forces’

Surankote: The National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Monday made a strong appeal to the people urging them to unite and support its alliance with the Congress in the ongoing J&K polls, which he said is not about religion but action.

The former Chief Minister of J&K emphasised the fight against the “forces” spreading hatred across the country, which he claimed are trying to weaken the nation to stay in power.

Addressing a rally in Surankote, Abdullah took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, criticising his remarks about the ‘mangalsutra’, which he said were made to incite hatred among the masses.

Campaigning during the Lok Sabha polls, Modi had alluded to Muslims to allege that the Congress plans to give people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children’’ and would steal the “gold of mothers and sisters” if voted to power. “Today, it is not about religion but it is about action, because this is a big fight against hatred). It is a fight against those hate-spreading parties who want to divide India. Can we bury those parties that are spreading hatred in India?” Abdullah said.

Abdullah was accompanied by Rahul Gandhi while hitting the campaign trail in support of the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance candidate Mohmmad Shahnawaz contesting the elections from Surankote assembly segment in the border district of Poonch.

“If today you want to end that hatred and bury those forces, then vote for the symbol of the hand and strengthen India, which belongs to all of us,” Abdullah said.

He further stressed the importance of the alliance’s success. “This fight is against the hatred that the BJP and RSS are spreading throughout the country,” he said.