Not me or Mamata primarily responsible to strengthen INDIA bloc, says Omar Abdullah blaming Congress

Abdullah, who was present at the Travel and Tourism Fair event in Kolkata, said it was neither his or West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's primary responsibility to strengthen the alliance.

"Neither me nor Mamata Banerjee have the primary responsibility to strengthen the INDIA bloc. The biggest ally in the group must take the primary responsibility.

"I regret that our allies do not meet frequently. The last time we met was at Mallikarjun Kharge's residence after the elections. But we didn't meet after that," the National Conference leader, who runs a coalition government with Congress in J&K, said.

Though several INDIA bloc allies fought against each other in their respective states, the alliance could manage to reduce the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s tally of seats to 303 to 240 in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The INDIA bloc soared to 230 with Congress improving its performance by winning 99 seats.

Even in West Bengal, the TMC, Left and Congress- who are key partners in the INDIA bloc, fought against each other. The TMC held its sway in the state winning 29 seats as opposed to BJP's 12 and Congress' 1 while Left repeated a blank.

In the evening, Abdullah had met Mamata at the state headquarters Nabanna.

Abdullah visited Kolkata for the first time since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which killed 26 tourists.

Amid ongoing efforts to revive tourism in Jammu and Kashmir following the terror attack, Abdullah made a strong appeal to people at the Travel and Tourism Fair Kolkata 2025 to visit the valley.

Striking an optimistic tone, Abdullah said, "We’re not here with a tale of doom and gloom, nor with a dark cloud hanging over us. People have a renewed sense of optimism and hope.

"That hope is based on what we see on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir today and post-Pahalgam attack, tourism has begun to flow back,” he said.

Acknowledging travel concerns after the April 22 attack, the Chief Minister said, "Please rest assured that all possible steps are being taken to ensure a peaceful and secure Jammu and Kashmir. Don’t take my word for it—ask those who have already travelled to J&K and returned.

On the immediate impact on tourism, he admitted, “Of course, we took a hit. We went from full hotels to emptiness. We went from Dal Lake being full of shikaras to not a single shikara being visible."

Illustrating the dip and recovery in tourism, Omar stated, "Prior to the attack in Pahalgam, we had more than 50 flight arrivals a day from various parts of the country. That number dropped to 15. Today, it has crossed 25," adding that direct flights from Kolkata have been restored.

Facing a question on  the attackers' arrest, Abdullah said, “Our job at the moment is twofold: one, to track them down; and two, to ensure they don’t come anywhere near any civilian population areas, whether tourist or not.”