Who Is Farooq Abdullah To Comment On YS Jagan? Ask Andhras
AR Reshmi
Who is Farooq Abdullah? This question is the talking point in Andhra Pradesh, especially in Rayalaseema after the National Conference Leader campaigned there on Tuesday along with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. People in Kadapa are furious with Farooq over his wild, baseless allegation against their beloved leader and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Azmathullah, a young engineer, said: “If Farooq Abdullah had known this all along, why he did wait for 10 years before revealing this in AP, now? Why couldn’t he have told the people of the country then itself?”
His friend Ameenuddin, a businessman nodded in agreement and said: “These are cheap gimmicks being indulged in by Chandrababu Naidu to discredit YS Jagan. Farooq Abdullah has no relevance here and we will give back Chandrababu in equal measure for his cheap politics. TDP will pay a price for Farooq Abdullah’s absurd allegation,” he added.
Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu’s desperation to cling to power has now reached its climax with leaders like former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah being roped in to unleash a campaign of slander against YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Farooq Abdullah’s outlandish claim that the YSRCP chief tried to seek his help in becoming the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh after his father’s tragic demise and even offered Rs 1500 crores, is absurd to say the least. Any discerning observer of the national political scene over the past few years knows where exactly Farooq Abdullah stands in the entire scheme of things. The National Conference was a part of UPA and Abdullah was a union minister, but no one would fall for the farcical claim that he had the clout to make someone the chief minister of a Congress-ruled state, back then. If the YSRCP chief indeed wanted to stake a claim for chief ministership, why would he go to the National Conference minister who had no clout in the process?
Chandrababu Naidu’s desperate measures can be gauged from bringing leaders like Farooq Abdullah, who command no influence at all in Andhra Pradesh. The NC leader has no relevance outside Srinagar and cannot influence votes in populous Muslim constituencies such as Moradabad, Rampur, Azamgarh and Muzaffarnagar in UP or Hyderabad in Telangana, Aurangabad in Maharashtra and large pockets of West Bengal, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. In other words, he is a zero in terms of political influence. Farooq Abdullah does not enjoy the most shining reputation when it comes to his track record as a politician and yet he spouts values as if he has a monopoly on them. In this, he is a true partner of Chandrababu Naidu which is why birds of the same feather seem to flock together more than ever now.
