Srinagar, October 24, 2025 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, calling it a “puppet of the ruling National Conference (NC)” and alleging that its decisions are made in the “kitchen of the Abdullahs.”
The remarks came after the Congress announced its support to the NC in the upcoming Rajya Sabha byelections for four seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
‘Congress Is a Mere Extension of NC’
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma said the Congress had long surrendered its political independence in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Congress does only what they (the Abdullahs) decide. Every major decision is cooked in the Abdullahs’ kitchen and later endorsed in Delhi,” Sharma said.
He described the Congress’ alliance with the NC as “no surprise,” claiming it only reaffirmed the party’s role as a “junior partner” of the ruling coalition.
‘Dynastic Politics Blocking Common People’
Turning his criticism towards the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the NC, Sharma said that the two regional parties represent “family politics” that have deprived ordinary people of political space and power.
“Two families in Jammu and Kashmir want only their politics to survive. They don’t want any common person to rise to power. Whenever their interests are threatened, they join hands in the name of democracy,”* the BJP leader alleged.*
He added that the PDP and NC “come together only when their family dominance is in danger,” describing their recent coordination as a “classic example of political opportunism.”
‘BJP Will Achieve Its Aim’
Responding to a question about possible abstentions in the Rajya Sabha voting, Sharma said cryptically,
“You analyse who will benefit. We will achieve our aim.”
Meanwhile, the Congress on Thursday defended its decision to back the NC, saying the move was aimed at “standing united against the BJP’s agenda of atrocities and subjugation.”
A Congress statement noted that all “differences have been kept on the back burner” to present a united front against the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.
