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| It's Congress' posturing, not decision | | Pre-poll alliance with NC | | Neha
JAMMU, Jan 19: On Saturday, a number of Congress leaders targetted National Conference (NC) and denounced it as an outfit with "mentally bankrupt" leaders. Infact, they issued a written statement to that effect. Some of the signatories included MLC and Congress district President Doda, Naresh Kumar Gupta, MLC Subash Gupta, MLC Sham Lal Bhagat and Secretary JKPCC Thakur Jugal Bhandari. All of them belong to the Ghulam Nabi Azad camp. The statement came a day after NC leader Mir Sajjad Shaheen made some comments against former minister and MLA G M Saroori. Shaheen had described the Saroori's "orchestrated campaign" against the NC and termed it as a "sign of frustration". He did not say anything new. He only spoke the language of NC additional general secretary Mustafa Kamaal, who is known for his anti-Congress and anti-Delhi stand.
The Congress leaders were right when they claimed that it was the Congress that has allowed the NC to continue in government. "The NC leaders are mentally bankrupt who in utter frustration are issuing statements out of their whims," their statement, among other things, said. The statement asserted that the party would emerge "very strong" in the upcoming Parliament and Assembly elections. "Next Chief Minister will be from the Congress. There will be no pre-poll alliance with the NC which is dependent on the Congress and without its support they can lose the power. It is because of the Congress that Omar Abdullah continues to be the CM," the statement also said.
Indeed, the NC cannot remain in government even for a day if the Congress withdrew its support to it. The NC has only 28 members in the 87-member and the Congress 18. So, the claim of the signatories to the anti-NC statement was not without any basis. But that's not the point. The point is that hardly any important member belonging to the JKPCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz-led camp. It is this conspicuous absence of members belonging to the Soz camp that shows that there is no unity among those who matter in the Congress. But more than that, most of the Congress ministers in the Omar Abdullah-led coalition government in their heart of hearts and the Jammu-based Lok Sabha members do not want to sever ties with the NC, as they believe no pre-poll alliance with the NC would mar their electoral prospects. Besides, Soz and Azad are unwilling to iron out their differences and take on the NC as one man, notwithstanding their statements to the contrary, which could be described as no more than as mere posturing.
The fact of the matter is that the local Congress leadership matters little. It's the Congress high command comprising Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra which matters and it is quite possible that Rahul Gandhi would oblige Omar Abdullah and give his consent to pre-poll alliance. Once it happens, the local Congress leadership would take no time to fall in line. The local Congress leadership in the state is not like the Congress leadership in Andhra Pradesh, which has been showing teeth to the Congress high command and UPA government. The truth, in short, is that certain Congress leaders, belonging particularly to the Azad camp are airing views which have no relevance. It's a mere posturing. And as for their claim that the Congress would emerge strong in the 2014 elections, less said the better. It's simply day-dreaming and nothing else. |
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