Farooq Abdullah Shouts, Tears Up in Interview on J&K, Muslims in Modi's India, Opposition Disunity

In a 40-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Farooq Abdullah, a three-time former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the President of the National Conference, said the people of Kashmir feel “rejected”. He said they feel “as if they are being pushed away”. He said the situation was like “a volcano which could explode”. Asked what would be the outcome if the volcano exploded he said: “It will take the nation with it” adding “nothing will survive”. Speaking about what it’s like to be a Muslim in Narendra Modi’s India, Farooq Abdullah had a short, sharp, blunt answer: “It’s terrible”. In one of the most powerful moments in the interview, Farooq Abdullah dissolved in prolonged tears when he spoke about the lack of opposition unity and how “ego” was dividing parties like the Trinamool Congress and Congress. He said he believes Mamata Banerjee feels deeply hurt by the fact Congress did not help her but instead fought against her when she was being challenged by the BJP in the recent state elections in West Bengal. Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month.    / @thewirenews   Like our work? Click here to support The Wire: https://thewire.in/support The founding premise of The Wire is this: if good journalism is to survive and thrive, it can only do so by being both editorially and financially independent. This means relying principally on contributions from readers and concerned citizens who have no interest other than to sustain a space for quality journalism. As a publication, The Wire will be firmly committed to the public interest and democratic values. We publish in four different languages! For English, visit www.thewire.in for Hindi: http://thewirehindi.com/ for Urdu: http://thewireurdu.com for Marathi: https://marathi.thewire.in If you are a young writer or a creator, you can submit articles, essays, photos, poetry – anything that’s straight out of your imagination – to LiveWire, The Wire’s portal for the young, by the young. https://livewire.thewire.in/ You can also follow The Wire’s social media platforms and engage with us. Facebook   / thewire     / thewirehindi     / thewireurdu     / thewiremarathi   Twitter   / thewire_in     / thewirehindi     / thewireurdu     / thewiremarathi     / livewire   Instagram   / thewirein     / livewirein   Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button to never miss a video from The Wire!