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| Is the Cong-NC alliance on its last legs in J&K | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 28: The open confrontation between the Congress and the NC alliance partners has this time assumed significance because of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's snub to the State Government.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and State Congress party chief Prof. Saif-ud-Din Soz are also on the same page accusing the State Government of not showing seriousness in devolution of powers to the elected Panches and Sarpanches.
The PDP led by former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has supported the extension of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments to Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the stand taken by the Centre on this issue.
In sharp contrast to this commonality of political perception between the Congress and the PDP, the NC has taken a stand against the extension of either of these Constitutional amendments to the State. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has categorically stated that there is no need to extend these amendments to the State. Instead, the CM said if need be the State Constitution would be suitably amended to ensure that powers are devolved to Panches and Sarpanches. The CM also added that these Panches and Sarpanches already have enough powers.
The holding of the Panchayati elections in the State last year has been hyped as the biggest achievement of the Congress-NC alliance Government in Jammu and Kashmir.
As more than 100 of these Panches and Sarpanches have already submitted their resignations both to the authorities and through paid advertisements in the newspapers the question of providing security to them is a massive administrative problem which baffles the State Government. There are over 30,000 such representatives in the Valley alone and securing each one of them individually is something the authorities cannot afford despite having one of the largest police forces in the country.
The State Government has also said presence of security forces in vulnerable areas would be increased to secure those areas thereby providing overall security to the Panches and Sarpanches living in such areas.
As the 2014 general elections start coming closer the clash of interests between the Congress and the NC are coming to fore with each passing day. Finally, the clash of interests is sure to bring the Congress and the NC in direct electoral confrontation with each other where the mutual protection of interest would be mutually self-destructive.
This realization appears to be quickly dawning on the alliance partners who have started shadowing the coalition Dharma to benefit the party interests. In politics there are no permanent friends or enemies. The Congress and the NC seem to be learning this basic lesson after over three years of dragging a relationship that did not benefit the common man in the State. |
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