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| Demand for rotational Chief minister ship resurfaces with a purpose | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 16: The demand for introduction of the rotational Chief ministership has surfaced again in Jammu and Kashmir. This time the senior congress party leaders have started voicing the demand for change in the guard after Omar Abdullah completed three years' in office.
In fact the demand for rotational Chief Ministership was raised by none other than the former Deputy Chief Minister and the senior most Congress leader, Mangat Ram Sharma, while addressing a public rally in December 2010. Sharma had stated that since the Congress and the National Conference had contested the 2008 election together the two should share power by changing the guard after Omar completed three years.
Sharma had, in his plea for rotational Chief Ministership, stated that if there was no change in the guard the Congress would get weakened. He had given vent to such feelings again in April last during an interview with a newsman despite the fact that he had earned displeasure from not only the NC leadership but from some congress leaders who are in favour of the status qo.
At a Congress function in Srinagar the other day, which was attended by its senior leader and MP, Dr Karan Singh, and state President, Prof Saifuddin Soz, second-rung leadership of the party raked up the rotational Chief Minister issue saying their rights were being 'trampled upon.' Responding to sloganeering on change in the guard after three years, Dr Singh assured the congress leaders and workers that their suggestions and sentiments would be conveyed to the party high command in New Delhi.
"I was here for past 10 days and met party leaders and people and listened to their suggestions. I assure you to take up your suggestions with (UPA chairperson) Sonia Ji. I will always seek betterment of the party in Jammu and Kashmir," said Dr Singh who is a Rajya Sabha Member.
This indicates that there are several senior leaders within the congress who are not averse to the idea or demand for change in the guard otherwise Karan Singh would have ruled out the possibility of introduction of rotational Chief Ministership as had been done by another senior leader, Makhan Lal Fotedar. Fotedar stated that there was no question of change of guard in the state
The demand for change in the guard is said to have surfaced only after Omar Abdullah announced, on several occasions that under an agreement with the Congress high command he would continue to complete his six-year term as head of the Government. By raising the demand for change in the guard the Congress wants to needle Omar to treat the party with respect.
Two factors are stated to be responsible for the surfacing of the demand for rotational chief Ministership. First being the growing gap between the NC leadership and the senior functionaries of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. The state unit of the Congress is opposed to Omar's bullying tactics with the result the Congress has been forced to play a second fiddle to him.
Secondly, a section of the senior congress leaders besides workers in the state do not want Omar to get the sole credit for the improvement in the security and political environment in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress unit believes that even the incidents of militancy related violence and activities had nose dived during the last six months.
Hence the party wants a senior Congress leader to replace Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister so that Congress too could share laurels for the improvement in the situation. Besides this, the Congress leaders and workers believe that the party may suffer further erosion if rotational chief ministership was not introduced. They believe that once the Congress got the Chief Minister's "gaddi" the dissidents in the party would be forced to shut their shop. But as far as Rahul Gandhi continues to be at the helm of affairs in the Congress high command dislodging Omar from the Chief Miniter's "gaddi" was a tedious task. |
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