Irrespective of J&K assembly poll results, control will lie with Delhi: Engineer Rashid

SRINAGAR: Awami Ittehad Party chief Sheikh Abdul Rashid on Saturday said irrespective of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election results, the Union Territory’s control will lie with Delhi.

Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, also said he does not rely on exit polls and would wait for the final outcome of the assembly polls.

Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi met the AIP chief at his residence here on Saturday. Their meeting has sparked speculations about the Congress leader seeking his support for the National Conference (NC)-Congress coalition for government formation.

“Everybody is at liberty to have an exit poll. They know better what the criteria were. People have voted, so let’s wait for October 8,” Rashid told PTI.

He said he has never relied on exit polls.

“Did anybody predict me winning the Baramulla parliamentary elections? Nobody! I was in jail and the least I could experience was that nobody talked about us. Anyway, people have voted, so let’s wait till October 8,” he added.

On Channi’s visit, Rashid said he was the only leader to raise voice for him in Parliament. “He came to visit and I thanked him for raising voice for me. We had a good discussion,” the AIP chief said.

Asked about the topic of discussion with the former Punjab chief minister, the Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla said, “When two politicians meet, politics will obviously be discussed.”

Asked if the elections will throw up a hung assembly in J&K, Rashid said irrespective of the results, the control will lie with Delhi.

“Whether we are going to have a hung assembly here or any one political party gets majority of seats, the control lies with New Delhi because J&K is a Union Territory.

“Whoever forms the government here — especially those who claimed to reinstate Article 370, statehood or Article 35A, or prisoners out of jails or to stop human rights violations or initiating talks with Pakistan — it’s an examination for them,” he said.

Rashid said the party, which gets more results, will have to share more responsibility.

On whether the Union Territory assembly will be weak, Rashid said the legislature was not about power.

“When public representatives are chosen, when MPs and MLAs are chosen, they will be given some power. So, let them fight. If they think they will be powerless, then why did they fight in the first place?

“Or they should fight like me so that either Modi ji listens to them or they go to jail. I will wait till October 8, that’s what is important to me,” he added. (PTI)