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Farooq Abdullah said the PDP was most responsible for the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and alleged that the party had helped the BJP, drawing a sharp reaction from the PDP
The National Conference and PDP are publicly at odds again.
The INDIA bloc is set to hold a joint ‘Save Democracy’ protest rally and ‘padyatra’ in Jammu and Kashmir on October 7, part of a nationwide campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and decisions of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
The decision for joint protests across states and Union Territories was taken at the alliance’s September 30 meeting in Delhi, where leaders, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and senior Congress leaders, projected a united front. But as the Jammu and Kashmir unit prepared for the October 7 rally, the alliance’s internal differences quickly came to the fore.
A joint meeting of the local INDIA Bloc—attended by the National Conference, PDP, Congress, Panthers Party and other constituent parties—was held in Jammu three days ago to work out the blueprint for the padyatra.
Within 24 hours, however, the National Conference and PDP were publicly at odds again.
The development is significant because the two parties are among the key constituents of the INDIA bloc in Jammu and Kashmir, but have long been political rivals. Their latest confrontation has also brought the strain between the National Conference and Congress into focus.
Farooq Abdullah Targets PDP, Congress
The latest round of friction began with a statement by National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah, who directly attacked the PDP.
Farooq Abdullah said the PDP was most responsible for the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and alleged that the party had helped the BJP. He said Jammu and Kashmir was not getting its rights and that its powers and identity had been taken away, alleging that the PDP had helped the BJP in this process.
Farooq Abdullah also targeted his alliance partner Congress. He said Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had made a major mistake by not making the Election Commission autonomous, a statement that was seen as a direct reference to Congress.
PDP Hits Back: ‘NC Has Forgotten Article 370’
The PDP did not remain silent.
PDP leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Para and other party leaders hit back at Farooq Abdullah, saying his claims were wrong. Para said Article 370 remained the core issue of the PDP’s ideology, but alleged that the National Conference had now forgotten it.
According to Para, the NC was now focusing only on statehood and had moved away from the Article 370 issue.
Cracks In NC-Congress Relationship Too?
The friction, however, is not limited to the NC and PDP.
All is not well between the National Conference and Congress either. In Jammu and Kashmir, the NC and Congress are alliance partners, while the PDP is not part of that direct alliance. However, differences have emerged between the NC and Congress as well.
Congress had made two key demands. The first was the formation of a coordination committee to ensure that the government functioned smoothly. Omar Abdullah did not constitute that committee. The second demand was for two ministerial berths for Congress in the Cabinet. That demand was also not accepted.
As a result, Congress had to extend outside support to the government. Congress also wanted one secure Rajya Sabha seat to be given to the party, but that demand was not accepted by the NC either. This has also created friction within the alliance.
Another bone of contention is Omar Abdullah’s meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi or Prime Minister Narendra Modi—dialogues that Congress is not comfortable with as it feels the National Conference is cosying up to the BJP.
Political experts say this is the biggest weakness of the INDIA Bloc in Jammu and Kashmir: while the parties remain united against the BJP and PM Modi at the national level, their political rivalry continues in Jammu and Kashmir. The NC and PDP draw from the same vote base and both are seeking to protect their political space and existence at the expense of the other.
That is why, according to political observers, the unity visible in Delhi does not necessarily translate to Jammu and Kashmir.
The October 7 rally will take place. There will be a photo session and the slogan of ‘Save Democracy’ will be raised. But the statements emerging even before the slogan has been raised have already put a bigger question before the INDIA bloc—Can the alliance save its own unity in Jammu and Kashmir?
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Ask News18Farooq Abdullah blamed the PDP for the abrogation of Article 370 and alleged that it helped the BJP, while PDP leaders countered that the National Conference had forgotten Article 370 and was only focusing on statehood instead.
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Jammu and Kashmir, India, India
October 06, 2026, 4:00 PM IST
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