“Says ‘We Fought Your Grandfather and Proved Our Mettle, You Have No Stature’; Dares MP Ramzan to Swear on Quran Over Revenue Ministry Dealp
Srinagar, August 11:
Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Conference Vice President and former MLA Abid Hussain Ansari on Tuesday launched a sharp, point-by-point rebuttal to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s recent interview, rejecting his claims regarding the late Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari and accusing the Abdullah family of repeatedly compromising with political interests at the expense of the people of Kashmir.
The controversy follows remarks attributed to Omar Abdullah in a recent interview, in which he reportedly claimed that the late Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari had apologised to his father, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, for allegedly playing a role in the fall of his government.
Abid Ansari strongly rejected the claim, describing it as a “blatant lie” and insisting that no such apology had ever taken place.
“He blatantly lied. The question of an apology does not even arise,” Ansari said, while referring to the political contest between the two families. “When we fought the Parliament election against your grandfather, we proved our mettle then. You have no stature; your existence is nothing.”
Ansari then presented his own account of the political developments surrounding the restoration of an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir in the mid-1990s, arguing that the role played by Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari had been overlooked in the conventional political narrative.
According to Ansari, at a time when Kashmir was witnessing severe turmoil, then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao approached Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari with an offer to become Chief Minister, provided elections were held, even if only nominally.
Ansari claimed that Molvi Iftikhar rejected the proposal and instead insisted that Farooq Abdullah be brought back to Jammu and Kashmir.
“It was the late Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari sahab who played the decisive role in bringing Farooq Abdullah back from London,” he said. “If Farooq has any conscience, he will tell you the truth.”
Ansari further claimed that following Farooq Abdullah’s return, Molvi Iftikhar Ansari and his associates urged him to negotiate with the Centre for restoration of internal autonomy. He also alleged that sections of the Hurriyat leadership were prepared to support such an initiative.
“We told him: demand internal autonomy and negotiate with them. But Farooq Abdullah felt as if a flying bird had come to sit on his head. He came, he took the chair, but never talked about internal autonomy,” Ansari said.
He accused the Abdullah family of repeatedly placing political power above the aspirations of the people.
“Your grandfather, your father, and you have always prioritised power. You never prioritised the people,” he alleged.
Ansari also directly challenged Omar Abdullah’s version of events surrounding the fall of Farooq Abdullah’s government in the 1980s and the subsequent elevation of Ghulam Mohammad Shah as Chief Minister.
Calling the allegation that Molvi Iftikhar Ansari had toppled Farooq Abdullah’s government an “absolute lie”, Ansari argued that the crisis was primarily the result of internal dissent within the National Conference.
“At that time, Congress had the majority from Jammu, and here Farooq Abdullah was busy with other things day and night — sometimes Gulmarg, sometimes Pahalgam,” he said. “It was your own National Conference MLAs who gave support to Ghulam Mohammad Shah. Your father was simply not capable. His government fell because he had no grip over his own MLAs.”
Ansari also levelled allegations against sitting MP Chowdhary Ramzan, challenging him to deny on the Quran that he had sought the Revenue Minister’s portfolio in return for supporting Ghulam Mohammad Shah’s government.
Turning his attention directly to the Chief Minister, Ansari questioned Omar Abdullah’s understanding of the political history of Jammu and Kashmir and urged him to revisit the history of his own family.
“I hope Omar Abdullah will correct his memory and look at the history of his own family — how from time to time they have betrayed the Kashmiri nation,” he said.
Expressing further criticism of the present political leadership, Ansari added, “I say with great regret that governance here has fallen into the hands of such boys who do not even know the A, B, C of politics. Why doesn’t his father speak up? He knows everything.”