news details |
|
|
| Consensus eludes Congress in J&K | | | Not withstanding efforts being
made by the AICC general
secretary,Ambika Soni,for forging unity among the two main factions of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir the party leaders have yet to come to terms so that the party is able to meet challenges that may come in its way during the ensuing Assembly election.What is interesting for the opponents of the Congress is the way the party unit in Jammu and Kashmir continued to be a divided lot.What is disturbing for the party high command is the way the leaders of the state unit have not become wiser even after its rout in the three Lok Sabha seats it had contested.It is because of the unending feud between the loyalists,headed by Saif-ud-Din Soz,and the dissidents,led by Ghulam Nabi Azad, that the state unit of the Congress has failed to evolve consensus on issues like who would lead the party in the upcoming Assembly elections and whether there should be a pre-poll alliance with the NC or with the PDP or gone alone in the battle of the ballot.It is in this connection that Ambika Soni, who is incharge of the party affairs for JK, also sought reasons for the party's defeat in recent Parliamentary polls. She was chairing a crucial meet of the state Congress in Srinagar. The meet was presided over by JK Congress chief Prof Saifuddin Soz with party stalwart Ghulam Nabi Azad also in the chair.
At the very beginning of the meeting, Ambika sought reasons for party's rout in the recent Lok Sabha election. The meeting also discussed the recent political developments and the way forward in JK.The Congress leaders asserted that the party must work under a "single leadership" to ensure "comeback" in the upcoming Assembly polls and it must go in the Assembly elections on its own. While some party men asserted that Congress would flourish only under the leadership of Prof Soz but many others put their weight behind Azad terming him a leader of masses.Majority of the Congress leaders demanded that the party should part ways with National Conference at the earliest and go to the people with its own agenda. Sensing a division of sorts within the party over who should lead the party in JK, Ambika has decided to hold one-on-one meetings with district presidents, MLAs, MLCs, vice presidents and other office bearers.
What is laudable is the way Ambika Soni did not thrust her opinion on the party leaders.She,in fact,placed a number of options before the party leaders.She wanted to know whether the party is in favour of keeping in tact the five-year old alliance with the NC during the Assembly poll or forge a pre-poll alliance with the PDP or opt for going alone in the ensuing Assembly election.These are the three options for the Congress which thinks that it has not lost its capacity for Government making in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.This thinking is the result of a belief of the Congress leaders that the coming Assembly poll may throw up a hung House which would warrant a coalition Government in the state.Since the NC and the PDP continue to be the main political foes trying to harm each other there is no possibility for the two to join hands for forming a coalition Government.There is no possibility for the NC and the PDP to forge an alliance with the BJP as that would force the two valley centric parties to suffer erosion in their vote bank in the Kashmir province.This leave the Congress in an enviable position because it alone can enter into an alliance either with the NC or with the PDP for Government making.Yes,the Congress plan could blow up like water bubble if either the NC or the PDP win majority in the 87-member Assembly.In fact both the NC and the PDP are trying to secure simple majority so that either of the two has not to bank on support from any other party for forming the Government. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
