Congress MP Tariq Anwar on Saturday, 4 July invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's iconic remark — 'You can change your friends, but not your neighbours' — to defend Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, who was among 117 eminent signatories on a letter urging the restoration of dialogue between India and Pakistan. The remarks add a senior Congress voice to a growing chorus of political figures calling for renewed bilateral engagement.

Anwar's Defence of Farooq Abdullah

Anwar argued that Abdullah's advocacy for dialogue was rooted in direct experience. 'Farooq Abdullah hails from Kashmir and has served as both Chief Minister and Union Minister; therefore, he is well-versed with the situation there. Pakistan is indeed a neighbouring country, and both nations would benefit from dialogue. One should always maintain good relations with neighbours, a sentiment also expressed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee,' he said.

By anchoring his defence in Vajpayee's legacy — a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) icon who himself pursued the Lahore bus diplomacy in 1999 — Anwar sought to neutralise criticism from the ruling dispensation. The move is notable given the heightened tensions following the Pahalgam attack of last year.

Omar Abdullah Echoes the Call for Talks

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had on Thursday taken a similar position, stating that no one should object to India-Pakistan dialogue if the objective is to improve relations between the two neighbouring countries. 'This conflict is 30 to 40 years old, and last year it intensified after the Pahalgam attack. Now, through a letter, the Prime Minister has been requested to improve relations between the two countries. No one should have any objection to that,' he said.

The Chief Minister's remarks are significant given that Jammu and Kashmir has borne the direct consequences of cross-border tensions for decades, lending weight to his call for engagement.

Anwar on Digvijaya Singh and the Mahakal Temple Land Row

Separately, Anwar backed Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's allegations that valuable land near the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain was allotted to an RSS-linked trust during the tenure of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa. 'Digvijaya Singh has served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh twice and also as an MP; he is a responsible individual. When he speaks, his words carry weight. There must be some basis or facts behind his statement,' Anwar said.

He also defended Singh's earlier remark that the Ram Mandir consecration took place without 'kalash sthapna', saying Singh was a religious person with longstanding personal familiarity with the site.

On Champat Rai and the INDIA Bloc's Letter to CJI

When asked about seers in Ayodhya backing Champat Rai and urging the Ram Temple Trust to reject his resignation, Anwar was unequivocal: 'Champat Rai cannot be innocent because he was primarily responsible (for the donations and offerings).'

On the INDIA bloc's letter to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant seeking suspension of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Anwar said the opposition wrote the letter out of concern over the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s conduct. 'Given the situation in the country right now...the way the Election Commission is, in a way assisting the government and the BJP, so the opposition parties wrote the letter in a desperate attempt,' he said.

The remarks reflect a Congress strategy of simultaneously pressing multiple pressure points — on foreign policy, temple politics, electoral integrity, and judicial oversight — as political temperatures rise ahead of upcoming state contests.