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| Kashmiri Congressmen take lead, demand removal of Omar | | Revolt Against NC | | Rustam
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 14: It's virtually a coup against NC leader and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. It's revolt and it establishes that the relations between the NC and the Congress are far from normal and that anything can happen to the Omar Abdullah-led government anytime. This is not an exaggeration. Nor is it an attempt at making mountains out of molehills. It is a statement of fact and the statement is based on what transpired during the convention of Congress workers, held in Srinagar, under the leadership of JKPCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz and senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Karan Singh.
What transpired during the convention? Senior Congress leaders, including JKPCC vice-presidents Abdul Majid Paddar and Ghulam Nabi Monga, condemned the Omar Abdullah government and the NC ministers and accused them of ignoring the Congressmen. "We want equal share and equal say in the government" and we want an arrangement that treats both the coalition partners equally. The NC should rule the state for three years and the Congress must rule for the remaining term of three years," Monga candidly said. The Congress high command must respect the sentiments of the local Congressmen and see to it that the Congress occupies the Chief Minister's chair after Omar Abdullah completes three years in office," said Paddar. The upshot of their whole argument was that they are not prepared to accept the position of servitude any longer or that they do not want the Congress to play the role of "B-team."
The views of Paddar and Monga evoked favourable response from Karan Singh. He assured the local Congress leaders and workers that he would inform AICC president Sonia Gandhi as to what the local Congressmen want in the state and that he would also see to it that the state government doesn't ignore them. "I will see to it that their sentiments are respected and their legitimate needs taken care of by the government," Karan Singh assured the agitating Congressmen. As for Soz, he counseled the Congress workers and leaders like Paddar and Monga that it would not be proper to raise such sensitive issues in public meetings, as such interventions adversely impact the coalition politics. At the same time, however, he acknowledged that "he is fully aware of the sentiments and views of local Congressmen" and that "I will surely apprise the Congress high command of their wish."
All this should serve to demonstrate that the Congressmen in Kashmir are face to face with the Omar Abdullah-led government and that they want the Congress high command to revive the 2002 power-sharing formula under which the PDP occupied the Chief Minister's position for the first three years and the Congress during the remaining period. It should also serve to demonstrate that Omar Abdullah's June 11 statement that he would serve as Chief Minister for a full term of 6 years has failed to deter the local Congressmen.
But more than that, what transpired during the convention was an indication that the Congressmen have realized that the continuation of Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister for a full term of six years would simply mean the political demise of the Congress in the state. They appear to be correct. The existing arrangement has adversely affected the Congress party in the state with the Congress workers feeling totally demoralized and abandoned. The reason is simple and the reason is that it is the NC that is playing all the shots and implementing policies which have simply created a high wall between the Congress and the people and only helped the NC to consolidate, and even expand, its constituency. There is no doubt that the Congress would become irrelevant in the state in case the NC continues to sit on the driver's seat.
It is expected that the Congressmen would give a fillip to their demand. This expectation stems from the tone and the tenor of the local Congressmen that made Saif-ud-Din Soz and Karan Singh hold out a categorical assurance that they would tell everything to Sonia Gandhi. It would interesting to see what ultimately happens. |
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