National Conference chief and MP Dr Farooq Abdullah, on Monday, said he would join the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi when it reaches Jammu and Kashmir.

Dr. Abdullah, who was speaking to a delegation of All Parties United Morcha (APUM) that met him here, shared his concerns and the need to intensify the united struggle against the ‘communal and divisive forces’.

He said it is the need of the hour to stand united against politics of hate and division in order to strengthen the socio- religious brotherhood.

A delegation of APUM met former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and discussed the current political situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the need to further strengthen the ongoing coordination amongst opposition parties to defeat the designs of communal and divisive forces.

Representatives of Congress, National Conference, PDP, IDP, CPM, CPI, Akali Dal- Amritsar, IDP and others met Abdullah at his residence and had detailed deliberations about the overall situation in Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country, especially the vitiated political atmosphere and the need to together strengthen the secular & democratic forces in the country.

Abdullah was also in agreement with the delegation to have a more united and coordinated campaign of the opposition political parties and social organizations against the attempts to create political and social division in the society and assured to work for strengthening the broader unity amongst opposition parties to defeat BJP and its sister concerns.

He appreciated efforts of the APUM to foster understanding amongst different political parties and social organizations to unitedly raise voice on crucial issues of public concern and stand against the wrong policies of the present government.

He asked the Morcha leaders to mobilize all respective political parties to gear up their activities to highlight the failures of the government on various fronts besides seeking the restoration of statehood and other rights and holding of early elections to the state assembly.

The APUM leaders also suggested a joint convention of major opposition parties in near future to send a strong message of opposition unity, to which Abdullah responded positively.

Several other important subjects and issues of public concern came under discussion which lasted for nearly one hour.

Earlier, the APUM members met JKPCC President Vikar Rasool Wani, a couple of days ago and discussed these issues in detail with him too. Those who were part of the APUM delegation included Sheikh Abdul Rehman, former MP, former MLC Ravinder Sharma from INC, Kishore Kumar of CPM, Narinder Khajuria of IDP, Narinder Singh Khalsa – Akali Dal Amritsar, Varinder Singh of PDP, Daljit Singh, Sukhdev Singh and ID Khajuria of IDP, convenor of All Parties United Morcha, Jammu.