National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday came out in strong defence of son and chief minister Omar Abdullah in his fight against Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi, saying a battle with Delhi was not in the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Farooq and Omar also expressed disappointment with the INDIA bloc, with the chief minister suggesting that it should be disbanded if it were to be confined to parliamentary elections, as claimed by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Mehdi, who is from the National Conference, is up in arms against Omar for allegedly prioritising statehood restoration over the reinstatement of Article 370. He has also ruffled BJP feathers by calling tourism in Kashmir a “cultural invasion”.

Asked about Mehdi, Farooq said Omar was an elected chief minister and was not working at the behest of Delhi.

“Let him (Mehdi) say it. He has his voice, his own thinking…. He (Omar) is not working on anybody’s directions. He is working on the directions of the people,” Farooq said.

“We do not have to fight with Delhi. We will have to work with Delhi, to remove the hardships of the state. We do not have to take up cudgels (with the Centre). Those who want to do that, let them do that.”

Farooq wondered how people’s problems — like unemployment and poverty — can be alleviated by picking up a confrontation with Delhi.

“We are not the BJP’s men. We have no association with them. But central and state governments have a way of doing things.”

Earlier in the day, Omar said there was no clarity about INDIA’s leadership or agenda and it should be dissolved if it was just formed for the Parliament election.

The chief minister had been asked about the three-cornered fight between the AAP, BJP and the Congress in Delhi. “I cannot say anything about this because we have nothing to do with the Delhi elections. The AAP, Congress and the other parties on the ground must decide how to combat the BJP in a better way,” he said.

“As far as I remember, there was no time limit to INDIA. Unfortunately, no INDIA meeting is being organised, so there is no clarity about leadership, agenda, or our existence”.

“If it was just for parliamentary elections, wind it up. We will work separately then. If it was for the Assembly polls after the parliamentary elections, then we should work together,” he said.

Farooq said the bloc was not formed for elections, but to strengthen the country and remove hate.