Karnataka poll results show people will reject attempts to divide them along religious lines: Farooq Abdullah

PTI, May 14, 2023, 8:19 PM IST

Image credit: PTI / File

Srinagar: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said the results of the Karnataka polls show that people will not accept attempts to divide them along religious lines.

People want prosperity and development, Abdullah told reporters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district — 32 kilometres from here.

The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka, winning 135 of the 224 Assembly seats. The BJP, which bagged 66 seats, lost the only southern state where it was in power.

”The results in Karnataka have shown that the country values all religions. This is a victory of love. There was pressure on one side and love on the other. Love has won,” Abdullah said.

”If there is an attempt to divide people on the basis of religion, they will not accept it. They would want a battle of development and not a war between religions,” he said.

The NC president said people want development.

”They want inflation to come down and they want prosperity. Karnataka has delivered a lesson for the entire country,” he said.

On Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief minister said he hoped elections would be held in the union territory soon.

”Elections will have to be held sometime. I also hope that they (Centre) will restore the statehood,” he said.

The Centre had revoked the special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, 2019, and divided it into two union territories.

On the upcoming G20 meeting here, Abdullah said, ”I hope it will give a boost to tourism.” The third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting will be held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal lake in Srinagar from May 22 to 24.