Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference party chief Omar Abdullah met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and during a joint conference Abdullah lauded her work and said she would be taken to the Centre for the betterment of the country.
“She has done a very good job for Bengal and next we will take her to the Centre to do the same for the country,” he said interacting with mediapersons after a 45-minute meeting with Mamata at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
However, asked about who the Prime Ministerial candidate would be, both Abdullah and Mamata parried the question saying that it was too early as not even the date for Lok Sabha has been announced.
He said that there would be a fight in 2019 between the BJP and a united Opposition parties. Asked whether the Congress would be included in the front, he said, “There will be no inhibition about who would be included and who won't. Every party would be included which is against BJP.”
He said that at present the effort should be to defeat BJP first and added that he had come to Kolkata to attend a conference and felt it necessary to call upon Mamata to discuss prevailing situation in the state.
Mamata said that all regional parties which were against the BJP have come together other than one or two which have their state compulsions. “We should sacrifice everything for the sake of the country because the people cannot be sacrificed. In 2019 there will be a government for the people, of the people and by the people,” she said.
Abdullah said that his party depended upon TMC for raising issues at Rajya Sabha. “Since we don’t have any representative at the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’ Brien raises issues at the upper house on our behalf.”
Commenting about Imran Khan as the new President of Pakistan, Abdullah said that his comments sounded good but unless it translated into action nothing could be said. “There had been tension at the LoC for two years now. We should give Khan some time and wait and see what he did about taking two steps ahead for every one step that India took,” he said.
