Srinagar, Jun 28 : Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Sunday accused the ruling National Conference (NC) of maintaining a “behind-the-scenes” understanding with the BJP and said the people of Jammu and Kashmir would not accept any covert political arrangement.
In an interview with KNS, Altaf Bukhari said his party had been subjected to a propaganda campaign during the 2024 Assembly elections, with rivals portraying the Apni Party as the BJP’s “B-team”.
“For the last six years, a narrative was built that we were the face of the Government of India or the BJP’s B-team. That propaganda was spread against us,” he said.
Referring to the NC’s recent political outreach, Bukhari said his party was not consulted before the programme was announced.
“If they had discussed it with us, perhaps we would have participated. But they announced it as an NC programme without any consultation,” he said.
The Apni Party chief also questioned the NC’s political stand, alleging that the party periodically raises issues such as plebiscite but does not pursue them consistently.
Altaf Bukhari rejected allegations made by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti that he was close to the BJP leadership.
“I have never been to Nagpur, nor am I close to Nagpur. By the grace of Allah, we have the courage to speak the truth,” he said.
He also criticised the PDP’s 2014 alliance with the BJP, calling the decision “wrong”.
“People were played with. That decision was wrong then, and it remains wrong today,” Bukhari said.
He alleged that the NC was continuing to maintain ties with the BJP behind the scenes.
“If you have to work with the BJP, do it openly before the people. Doing it behind closed doors creates suspicion. Treat the BJP as a political party and be transparent,” he said.
Altaf Bukhari said political parties should maintain consistency in their stand towards the BJP before and after elections instead of changing positions after the polls.(KNS).
