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| Cong at Crossroads: Party divided over joining CM Omar’s cabinet | | |  Mahim Gupta
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 2: The National Conference-Congress alliance in Jammu and Kashmir has reached its most delicate moment since the 2024 Assembly elections.
As Chief Minister Omar Abdullah prepares a cabinet reshuffle and renews his offer of a ministerial berth, the Congress is split over whether to join the government at all.
Senior leaders say the party has pushed for two ministerial berths instead of the single seat on offer, along with the chairpersonship of a key government corporation or board.
The Congress high command, however, has not yet decided whether to enter the cabinet. Omar, who was in New Delhi for personal engagements and the INDIA bloc meeting on Wednesday, is understood to have discussed the matter informally with top Congress leaders, though neither side has confirmed this publicly.
To keep the partnership steady in the meantime, the two parties have agreed to set up an eight-member joint coordination committee, with four representatives from each side.
The NC has finalised its nominees, and the Congress is expected to name its members shortly. Leaders describe the panel as more than a liaison body. It is meant to settle disputes, align policy positions and clear administrative bottlenecks, including development priorities, recruitment concerns and public griev The camp led by JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, who has publicly declared that the Congress will not join the government until full statehood is restored, says statehood has been the party’s firm demand since 2019, and entering the cabinet without it would damage its credibility.
The cabinet question has opened a visible rift in the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee. One camp argues that even limited representation in government is essential to stay relevant in both Jammu and the Kashmir Valley, especially with the BJP's strong organisational presence. These leaders admit that picking a minister from a pool of just six MLAs will not be easy, but say alliance stability must come first.
The other camp is led by JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, who has publicly declared that the Congress will not join the government until full statehood is restored. He says statehood has been the party's firm demand since 2019, and that entering the cabinet without it would damage its credibility.
His statement, made before the high command could deliberate, sent senior leader Ghulam Ahmed Mir rushing to New Delhi. Mir is understood to be arguing that rejecting the NC's offer could weaken the alliance and shrink the party's political space.
The AICC is treading carefully. General Secretary in charge of J&K Syed Naseer Hussain, recently reiterated that the party's stated position is to wait for statehood before joining the cabinet. He also stressed that any change in that stance rests solely with the high command, which leaves the door open. |
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