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| NC-Cong coalition likely to survive another scare, discomfort increasing | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 31: Despite strong resentment from State Congress leadership, National Conference (NC)-Congress coalition Government has seemingly found way out of the present crisis over the creation of new administrative units.
Indications are that a report recommending 2500 units is likely to be accepted by the State Cabinet which is meeting here tomorrow, 9 days ahead of the last budget session of the ruling NC-Congress coalition Government. Sources maintain that the report would be accepted and sent to the planning department for looking into the feasibility of creating such huge number of administrative units.
Planning Department is likely to be asked to go into details and see, how much money would be required to make these administrative units functional, said the sources. They added that after the Planning Department gives its assessment, State Government would start the process of implementation of this report, which has reportedly recommended more than 2200 administrative units.
Sources disclosed that State Congress is miffed over the manner in which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah forced it to accept his demand for creation of administrative units even in the old districts where their requirement is the least. They said that State leadership has repeatedly reiterated that new administrative units were to be created only in the 8 new districts which were carved out by ex-Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the PDP-Congress coalition days prior to year 2009.
However, what came as rude shock to them was that NC unilaterally decided to create new administrative units even in districts where they were not required at all. However, Congress took a stand and forced NC to go on backfoot. They said that Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is reportedly in favour of allowing the State Congress leadership especially PCC President Prof. Saif-ud-Din Soz and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to decide affairs of NC-Congress coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Now, with Congress proposing areas of their choice as new administrative units, dust seems to have settled for the present time. The proposed restructuring of administrative units in the state had created fissures between the two UPA partners, together since 2008. The sub-committee was formed by the NC-Congress Government to examine the recommendations of the Mushtaq Ganai panel, which had come up with the idea of reorganizing the State's administrative structure to bring administration at people's doorsteps.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee which was headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand Sharma met several times and after holding detailed discussions prepared a new report which is likely to be accepted by the State Cabinet tomorrow. Omar had reportedly in his meeting with senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and Saif-ud-Din Soz in the capital on Monday night warned that the six-year-old alliance between the two parties could collapse if the proposal for forming new administrative units was not accepted by the junior partner.
He had also alleged that the sub-committee was dragging its feet on submitting its report, and warned that the alliance could collapse if things were not sorted out. In the 87-member Assembly, the NC has a contingent of 28 members, while the Congress has 17 MLAs. Elections to the State Assembly, NC leaders have warned, could be advanced and held along with the Lok Sabha polls.
Relations between the two partners have never been easy, and have survived only because of the personal equations between Omar Abdullah and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The two are friends and hence, Omar manages to keep the State Congress on the backfoot as and when he wishes. |
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