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| NC continues to put pressure on Congress | | Administrative units row | |
Rustam
Jammu, Jan 31: NC working president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah continues to put pressure on the Congress on the issue of new administrative units, notwithstanding the climb down by the latter. After yesterday's developments, an impression gained ground that both the coalition partners have reached a broad consensus on the sensitive issue of new administrative units and that they would stop airing views against each other. This impression seems to be ill-founded when viewed in the light of what Omar Abdullah on Thursday told CNBC-TV18.
Omar Abdullah did tell the news channel that "we (NC) are not fair-weather friends," but, at the same time, he refused to take a clear-cut stand on the alliance of his party with the Congress. "I am not going to express an opinion through the media. Obviously, I have one and it has been shared with the senior colleagues of the NC, as also with the senior functionaries of the Congress party as well," he said, and added that "I am not going to express an opinion through the media".
However, the most significant statement of his was that "there is some disagreement between the NC and UPA on an administrative manner relating to Kashmir. "As far as we (NC) are concerned if we get a suitable resolution to this issue about the administrative units there should be no speculation about our future with the UPA," he said. This statement of his should leave none in any doubt that he wants the Congress-led Cabinet Sub-Committee on new administrative units to submit its report not only on time but also made recommendations that are as per his wish. In other words, he suggested that he would accept only those recommendations which are more or less consistent with the recommendations as contained in the Mushtaq Ganai's controversial report - a report which, according to the Congress, is irrational and one-region-centric.
The truth, in short, is that Omar Abdullah is also out to influence the working of the Cabinet Sub-Committee and that's the reason he laid down a condition that "as far as we (NC) are concerned if we get a suitable resolution to this issue about the administrative units there should be no speculation about our future with the UPA". Note the word "suitable" and you can reach a logical conclusion and the conclusion would be that he wants the Congress to fall in line by endorsing his diktats. Let's see what the Congress ultimately does. However, there are reasons to believe that the Congress would finally toe the line because it, like the NC, believes that the collapse of the alliance at this point in time would benefit the PDP in Kashmir and the BJP in Jammu in the upcoming general election. |
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