Not worried about ED questioning, struggle for restoration of Article 370 will continue: Farooq Abdullah

NEW DELHI: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, who was on Monday grilled for over 6 hours by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a multi-crore scam in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, said he was not worried about the questioning and added that the struggle for restoration of Article 370 will continue.
"Our struggle (for Article 370) will go on whether Farooq Abdullah is alive or Farooq Abdullah is dead. Our resolve has not changed and our resolve will not change even If I were to be hanged," Abdullah told reporters emerging from the ED office.
"The courts would decide on the merits of the case. I am not worried. Why are you worried? The only regret I have is that I could not have my lunch as I had not brought it along," the former chief minister said.
With the ED summons coming a day after the formation of the People's Alliance led by Farooq Abdullah was announced, mainstream political parties accused the Centre of "political vendetta" against the former chief minister.
Omar Abdullah, son of Farooq Abdullah said that the NC will be responding to ED summons.
"The party will be responding to this ED summons shortly. This is nothing less than political vendetta coming days after the formation of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration. To set the record straight no raids are being conducted at Dr Sahib's residence," tweeted Omar Abdullah.
In a joint statement, several NC leaders from the Kashmir valley, the Jammu region and the Union Territory of Ladakh condemned the "undue witch-hunt" and intimidation of Abdullah, saying the "motive" behind the summons is to deter him from representing the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
They said the incumbent ruling dispensation in New Delhi is employing the government machinery and malevolent tactics to subdue Abdullah's effort in forging unity among different mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir.
"This government is doing everything it can to silence the combined voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which Dr Sahib (Abdullah) has been able to forge. The tactics are being employed across the board in the country to stifle the voices of dissent by using all spiteful measures, the party will not duck due to such tactics," the statement said.
The NC said the timing of the summons is very clear as the previous summons was issued just before August 5 last year, when the BJP-led Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, and this summons comes within days of the formation of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, of which Abdullah has taken a lead.
The leaders condemned the treatment meted out to Abdullah, an octogenarian, the seniormost politician of Jammu and Kashmir and the Member of Parliament from Srinagar.
"Such tactics will only make us more resolute towards achieving our goal peacefully and constitutionally. The measure also reveals the jitters the present ruling dispensation is going through in the wake of the growing consensus among all mainstream political parties on the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah," they said.
People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said the ED summons displays the extent of the Government of India's nervousness about mainstream parties in Jammu and Kashmir fighting as one unit.
"ED's sudden summon to Farooq sahab displays the extent of GOIs nervousness about mainstream parties in J&K fighting as one unit. Also reeks of political vendetta & wont in the least blunt our collective resolve to fight for our rights," she said in a tweet.
People's Conference leader Sajad Lone said the summons reeks of vendetta and will have an opposite impact to what the BJP wants to achieve.
"What a sorry state of affairs. Dr Farooq sahib summoned by ED. Reeks of vendetta. Contrary to what they want to coercively achieve this will certainly have the opposite impact," he said in a tweet.
(With inputs from agencies)