I will accompany you to jail, will you then leave politics: Omar asks Er Rashid

Srinagar, Sep 13: National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah has accepted a challenge from Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) Chief Engineer Rashid, offering to accompany him to Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
This comes after Engineer Rashid, who is out on interim bail until October 2 for the upcoming Assembly elections, had dared Omar to join him in his journey to Tihar, promising to quit politics if Omar agreed.

Engineer Rashid was arrested in 2019 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in a 2017 terror funding case. Addressing the claims that Rashid’s release could be secured through votes, Omar responded, “No one can be released from jail by electoral support. That is a matter for the courts to decide.”
“I will go with him to Delhi, but let him step away from politics and stay home,” Omar said during a media interaction in Kulgam.
Omar also took the opportunity to criticize the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), highlighting what he called the “tremendous suffering” Jammu and Kashmir has faced under the BJP’s decade-long rule. He urged voters to reject candidates who might align with the BJP following the upcoming election on October 8.
“Jammu and Kashmir has endured immense hardship under BJP rule. The only way to bring relief is to defeat those who are prepared to side with the BJP,” Omar asserted.
Emphasizing the importance of NC’s pre-poll alliance, Omar declared, “We are the only party firmly committed to not forming a government with the BJP. Others may be quietly supporting them.”
He urged voters to back alliance candidates in order to prevent further damage caused by BJP policies.
He concluded by affirming that the NC manifesto addresses all critical issues, from the Kashmir dispute and Article 370 to the everyday challenges faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, ensuring that no issue affecting the people has been left out.