Sajad dares Mehbooba to move court against Assembly dissolution

Srinagar, Nov 23: Two days after governor dissolved the Assembly, Chairman People’s Conference, Sajad Lone, on Friday dared the Peoples Democratic Party President, Mehbooba Mufti, to move court if she had the numbers.
“If Mehbooba Ji wants to challenge the dissolution of the Assembly in the court, she should go ahead. We will be more than glad to prove our numbers on the floor of the Assembly,” Lone told a press conference here, where he welcomed former PDP leader Molvi Imran Raza Ansari into his party.
To counter the government formation by Congress- PDP-National Conference (NC), Lone on Wednesday staked claim to form a government in the state with the support of the 25-legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and more than 18 other lawmakers.
Lone said he staked claim to form the government in the state as he “possessed” the required number of legislators in the Assembly.
“I talked to the governor on phone, and then tried to send the letter via fax, but latter sent the letter through Whatsapp. We staked the claim as we had the numbers. Had there been a floor test or had we been told to bring the numbers, then what is within the purview of the constitution would have happened.” Lone said.
“Mehbooba Ji did not have support of a majority of former PDP legislators. The National Conference’s belated realization that PDP can in-fact safeguard the state’s special status is diametrically opposite to NC’s stand over the past three years…,” he said.
He said that NC and PDP did not want him to form the government in the state.
“These two dynasties do not want any third family to rule the state and was an opportunistic alliance,” he claimed, and blamed them for the uprising of militancy in 1987.
Reacting to National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah, he said, “There have been 52 amendments by the Congress to weaken the special status of the state, and the party has been the chief architect of every constitutional erosion. How can one expect Congress is for protection of JK’s special status?”
Asked whether he supports the ideology of the BJP for erosion of Article 370 and 35A, he replied, “No Kashmiri can dream of erosion of these constitutions. The ideological fight between the Congress and the BJP is a battle being fought at the national level. Both Omar and Mehbooba have been allies of the BJP in the past and why was it not wrong that time?”
“Let Omar qualify what horse-trading is. I don’t have money to buy the legislators. Sheikh family has huge money, as they ruled the state for over 50 years. I have been minister for three years and was given the Animal Husbandry portfolio. I did nothing that is unconstitutional.”
He said it took five months to legislators of various parties to support him for government formation. “Things don’t happen overnight,” he said. “The PDP and NC were demanding dissolution of the Assembly for five months. When Governor did it, they call it undemocratic.”
Sajad said he did not support picking up of gun by the youth.
“Gun does not listen to anybody. There will be killings till gun is here. There can’t be any short term solution to Kashmir issue. I have been seeking votes for the development and Kashmir issue is a big issue,” he added.
On the occasion, Imran Raza Ansari said that NC has made property across various countries.
“Sheikh Sahab was a teacher and lived at Soura. See their property today in various countries. Where did it come from?” he added.