STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Tariq Hameed Karra, who had quit PDP and the Lok Sabha over the government’s handling of the recent unrest in Kashmir Valley, on Tuesday claimed he had been offered the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister’s post thrice by BJP before and after Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s death.
“I was offered the chief minister’s chair twice after Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s death, and once even when he was alive, by the BJP. Their agenda was to keep the (PDP-BJP) government in place,” Karra told reporters.
Karra said the offer was made by the “top brass of the BJP”, but did not name any leader of the national party.
Karra said the BJP had asked him to take over as the Chief Minister when Sayeed was not keeping well. Sayeed passed away in January this year.
“They told me that Mufti Sahib is not able to run (the government) effectively and asked me to become the Chief Minister but I rejected it,” he said.
He said there was no truth in allegations that he had quit the PDP and the Lok Sabha in September as he did not find any place in the council of ministers in the dispensation led by Mehbooba Mufti who succeeded her father Sayeed.
“When I rejected the chief ministership offer three times, why should I hanker after ministerial berth?” he said.
On his political future, he said he had three options, including floating a new political party, and he would opt for the one which will lead to resolution of Kashmir issue and oppose the BJP and RSS policies in the state.
He said a decision in this regard will be taken in consultation with his workers.
