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| NC-Congress: Coalition of contradictions - II | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Dec 30: Three, JKPCC vice-president Dharmpal Sharma not only criticized the NC, but also expressed unhappiness over the manner in which the Congress ministers have been behaving and ignoring the party workers. In fact, his was a scathing attack on both. As for the NC, he said: "We are respecting the cardinal principles of coalition dharma as per the 'directives' of AICC president and doing all that we could to ensure smooth functioning of the government and alliance, but the requests of the Congress workers are not conceded by the government. This has created widespread resentment and anger. It is, therefore, imperative to work out some mechanism that could redress this grievance. The State Cabinet took certain decisions, which were not in the interest of the nation, state and the Congress party."
It was obvious that Sharma was expressing unhappiness over the power-sharing formula and virtually criticizing the Congress high command's attitude towards the NC. It was also obvious that he was referring to the adoption of the controversial and divisive private member's Bill seeking establishment of Chenab Valley Autonomous Hill Development Council for the erstwhile Doda district, move to ban inter-district recruitment, adoption of the return and rehabilitation policy aimed at inducing the Pakistan-based Kashmiri militants to return to Kashmir, adoption of the Trans-national Islamic university and so on.
Sharma's attack on the Congress minister was no less scathing. He did not name any one of them but what the meaning of what he said was loud and clear. His basic refrain was that the Congress ministers did not oppose the controversial decisions taken during the Cabinet meetings. In other words, his grievance was that the Congress ministers have not been taking into consideration the party's long-term interests. Besides, he urged the party leadership and the ministers to take steps designed to fulfill the promises made by the party in the 2008 election manifesto. The election manifesto had, it may be recalled, held out two solemn commitments. One was that the Congress, if returned to power, would amend the J&K Constitution in order to federalize the state polity and establish a statutory regional council in Jammu. The other was that the Congress would ensure equitable development of all the three regions and end discrimination with the people of Jammu province and Ladakh region.
Four, the Congress rally not only brought to the fore glaring and irreconcilable contradictions between the Congress and the NC, but the speeches made by certain Congress leaders indicated the helplessness of the Congress party as far as the anti-Jammu policies being pursued by the NC were concerned. They candidly acknowledged that "there is problem on account of equitable distribution of funds among the three regions" and that "we have urged the NC and the Chief Minister to work out some mechanism so that this problem is surmounted." What they said made it quite clear that the Congress party has been at the receiving end, that it is the NC that is playing all the shots, that the Congress has no power whatever to make the NC see reason and behave and that the Congress is at the mercy of the NC.
All this suggests that the NC-Congress coalition is nothing but a coalition of contradictions and that the patience of certain Congressmen in Jammu is ending. It is understandable. After all, the Congress in Jammu has to reckon with the BJP and the JKNPP, which have become quite vocal and active. If the Congress is to hold its own in Jammu province and keep its constituency intact, it has no other option but to persuade the Congress high command to go in for that power-sharing formula under which the PDP and the Congress shared power. Not to adopt the 2002 power-sharing formula would simply mean demise of the Congress party in Jammu province. Leave alone Kashmir where the Congress has little or no support-base. Even otherwise, the Congress needs to snap its ties with the NC because the latter believes in divisive and communal politics. (Concluded) |
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