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| Maintaining alliance with NC, Congress asks people not to vote for regional parties | | Congress of contradictions | | Rustam
JAMMU, Dec 29: Addressing a public meeting at Shangus in Anantnag on Saturday, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad urged the people in Kashmir to "avoid voting for regional parties and connect directly with Centre by voting for the Congress". Azad also rightly asserted that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and that "some countries want to mislead the people of the state". Of course, he did not raise his finger against those, including NC leadership, in Kashmir who also question the presence of Indian Constitution in the state, ask New Delhi to withdraw the Central laws and institutions to "end alienation in Kashmir" and demand a "political settlement" of the communal problem in the Valley. It would have been better had he also tore into such Kashmiri leaders. That he didn't do so and, instead, raised his finger against hostile nations, should prove that the Congress has soft corner for those in Kashmir who indulge in soft-secessionism to promote the communal agenda and prepare step-by-step ground for the Kashmir's secession from India. However, Azad did make a valid point when he asked the people to directly link with the centre and that they should avoid using local parties as a bridge to connect with the Centre. By voting for Congress you can have a direct link with Centre". Later talking to media persons, Azad said that the coalition is a compulsion for Congress in any state, that the Congress enters into coalition out of compulsion only and that the Congress has the past experience that wherever we had a coalition we were weak there".The JKPCC chief asked the Congress workers to "stand united and further strengthen the Congress party in all the three regions of the State as a powerful instrument of service to the people". He asserted that he was "satisfied that the Congress has become a vibrant situation in all the three regions of the state.
He also took on those who get annoyed by his statement that the Congress Party would be the "largest political force in the 2014 election" and declared that the "Congress would prove its point to be correct". At the same time, he advised the Congress workers that they should not be "complacent" and they must work hard and continuously try to be friendly to the people and solve their problems.One thing was common in the speeches made by Soz and Azad: Don't vote for regional parties in Jammu & Kashmir. It was a very positive statement as far as the State of Jammu & Kashmir is concerned. The Kashmir-based regional parties are conservative parties and they play divisive and communal politics to garner votes and enjoy power. The statement of Azad and Soz needs to be viewed in this context.
However, they undermined their own formulation by not announcing withdrawal of the Congress' support to the NC, a one-region party. Had they announced withdrawal of the Congress' support to the NC, which has been leading the government since 2009 and trying to expand its constituency in the Kashmir Valley at the cost of the Congress to take on the PDP, they would have carried conviction with the people of the Valley.
That they asked the people of Kashmir not to vote for any regional party while maintaining coalition with the NC did suggest that the Congress is a party of contradictions - a reason that has been working against it not only in Jammu & Kashmir but across the country. The Congress must adopt a clear-stand on coalition politics failing which it would further lose its support-base. |
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