The INDIA opposition bloc has nothing to do with the Congress’s ‘vote chori’ campaign, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has said.

India is not part of the initial grouping. Some see this as a snub. Others say it doesn’t matter. Both reactions miss the point. The issue is not optics. It’s whether India is moving fast enough to be treated as a partner rather than a customer.

Alam Sheikh’s elder brother, Nabi Sheikh — also a local leader of the Trinamool Congress — said the family had apprehensions after Panna Sheikh returned to the village.