Lok Sabha Polls 2019 : This election will decide if J&K will remain part of India with dignity or not, says Farooq Abdullah

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah Saturday said this parliamentary election will decide whether Jammu and Kashmir will be “able to remain a part of the Union with dignity”.

Addressing election meetings in at Babademb in Khanyar and Kangan in Ganderbal, Abdullah, who is contesting from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, said people have to vote for preserving the country’s secular disposition, integrity and unity.

“This election shall decide if the state of Jammu and Kashmir is able to remain a part of the Union with dignity. The people of the state are directly fighting the BJP and their cronies here through the ballot for the protection of their identity,” he said.

“This election will decide if we are able to live with our neighbouring country in peace. The general elections are also significant since it is a direct fight between falsehood and truth. However, no matter how much they try, falsehood is bound to perish,” the NC president said.

Abdullah also said the ongoing general elections will decide if the people of the country, irrespective of their caste and creed, are able to live with dignity.

“So, it is imperative for all of us to make our choice correctly,” he said.

Alleging that Jammu and Kashmir were “facing immense onslaught” from all sides, the former Union minister said, “Today, forces inimical to our special status and identity are also trying to distort our history.”

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed on all fronts.

“He is a failed prime minister of a failed government. He has failed on every conceivable matrix. Not to talk of his promises which he made in the run-up to the 2014 elections. He has put into abyss what good was achieved by the previous government.

“Why is he (Modi) shying away from answering what he was able to achieve during his stint in power? The other day, Congress leader Kapil Sibal revealed an Rs 3 lakh crore currency racket involving the BJP. Not just that, people are seeking answers from him (prime minister) on Rafael deal,” Abdullah said.