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| Both NC, Congress feel coalition politics turning ‘inconvenient’ | | | BHARAT BHUSHAN
JAMMU, Oct 31: Both NC and Congress feel that they have not been able to pull on comfortably in their near four year rule in the state. In party meetings and private discussions, the issue attains the central stage even when it is not a part of the official agenda.
The lower and middle-rung leaders of the two parties, including some MLAs and MLCs, are not at all happy with the ways of the coalition working. Perhaps seeing things in the right perspective now, they strongly feel that coalition politics has been turning out to be "disastrous" for them. The duo joined hands and formed government on January 5, 2009, with PCC breaking all its ties with PDP, its alliance partner in the previous government.
NC has time and again been accused by some Congress leaders of harping on "competitive successionism" formula, which they feel is not good for the future of their party. NC, on its part, has so far restricted itself from openly criticising Congress but has been carrying on veiled attacks on it, while accusing some of its ministers of indulging in alleged corrupt practices.
In one such example, chief minister Omar Abdullah last month said at the second asian forum on global governance in New Delhi that "tackling corruption in a coalition set up was an impossible task."
While PCC remained silent and did not react, Omar's statement drew sharp criticism from AICC member Abdul Gani Vakil who termed it "irresponsible", and said it was nothing but to surrender before the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats who were looting the state exchequer with both hands.
Vakil said coalition could never be a hurdle in wiping out corruption if one was willing to do so. He also accused Omar of allegedly weakening the fight against corruption by preferring to drop sanction against corrupt ministers, and keep sitting on the files of corrupt ministers and bureaucrats.
PCC leaders have repeatedly conveyed to New Delhi their unpleasantness over the present state of affairs in J&K administration and highlighted the gaps in NC-Congress government.
"The party high command, including Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh, has been apprised of the points in the coalition that go against the party's interests in the state," a senior PCC leader said.
He said the high command was yet to respond to their communications which cited coalition as the main reason behind the party's dwindling base in the state.
The PCC leader felt that the coalition was in dilemma also because of the competitive successionism allegedly between NC and Kashmir's other political parties which were harping on this formula.
"NC has its own compulsions. It won't let others to occupy its political space in the valley," the PCC leader said and added, "To keep its vote bank intact in Kashmir, it has allegedly been trying to keep the successionist elements in good humour. It won't let its arch rivals to take a lead in this regard."
"NC understands well that its opponents' political strategy is to usurp separatists' space to attract sympathy on the ground. So, it would make every possible effort to ensure that they do not increase their base in the valley," he opined.
He said the Congress could not afford to toe the separatists' line but, being a part of the government, it was also not in a position to openly assail NC over its policies that "do not go well with the party at the national level".
In the process, the interest of entire Congress was getting jeopardised, and the party was getting marginalised in the state, he felt.
The PCC leader said both NC and Congress ought to sit together and form a joint strategy to ensure their comfortable win in the next assembly polls in the state.
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