Sajad Lone urges Congress to stop backing 'BJP proxies' NC, PDP

Srinagar: People's Conference chief and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone on Saturday said the Congress should stop backing what he called BJP's proxies - the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party - and urged Rahul Gandhi not to lend credibility to them.

Lone alleged that J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah was "a bigger BJP than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself" and warned that the BJP would use NC and PDP to make statements aimed at denting the opposition's prospects in the Bihar elections. "NC and PDP have been two teams on the forefront in J&K for decades, with the third umpire sitting in New Delhi. Rahul Gandhi should look beyond them," Lone said, adding, "If there is a bigger BJP than Narendra Modiji today, it is Omar."

He said Congress had the advantage of not being linked to the BJP, directly or historically, and should not "help its proxies." "If anyone is seen with Congress, people assume they are anti-BJP," he said.