news details |
|
|
| Are NC-Congress squabbles finally over? Not if Omar knows Delhi well | | | Mishu Gupta
EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, June 19-For the wily old politician back from Delhi with a pace maker to regulate his heart beat the squabbles within the NC-Congress alliance have come healthy and handy. He had the company of his old time buddy who came to pay obeisance at the Khirbhawani temple and also do some fireworks to please his bridge partner.
Voices had been raised in the past by lower and middle rung Congress leaders that the top job in the state must be rotated between the alliance partners after three years and Omar Abdullah must understand that the Congress stood to lose to the BJP in the Jammu region if it did not get the vital adrenalin shot of power after three years.
Mangat Ram Sharma went a step further. "The Congress would be wiped out if power is not rotated in the state after three years." Dr. Mustafa Kamal, Omar's uncle and senior NC leader ridiculed the Congress calling the NC's alliance with the centrist party as 'a bitter compulsion'. Kamal said the wily old politician had in the past engineered the downfall of four elected governments in Jammu and Kashmir since 1977 aided by his friend from south Kashmir who had enjoyed enviable proximity to the Parivar.
"They also betrayed my father. After the 1975 accord the Congress supported Sheikh's return to mainstream politics, but later withdrew their support. They are snakes up our sleeves," Kamal cautioned. The once very important and now marginalized senior Congress leader from south Kashmir shot back, "What is the NC doing in the company of snakes? They must look for better allies if we are a party of snakes." As if this was not enough, media started churning out stories indicating that Omar Abdullah had been put on notice primarily through the statements made by the Congressmen in the state and secondarily by the accompanying silence of the Congress high command on these statements.
Omar's habit to post his feelings on the micro blogging twitter site made matters worse. A Delhi based newspaper cried Omar Abdullah had been advised to work for the devolution of power to Panchayats which had been voted to power with overwhelming majority by the people of the state. Omar had already twitted that there was opposition to devolution of power to Panchayats from ministers. Now the story that the centre wanted Omar to arrange devolution of power to Panches and Sarpanches.
"When will New Delhi learn not to speak to me through newspapers." The tweet from Omar proved he had been harbouring misgivings against the centre despite his best relations with Rahul Gandhi and Madam Sonia Gandhi.
"If the alliance breaks we stand to gain. Ours is basically a Valley centric party and allying with the Congress has definitely chipped into our support base", Kamal's statement to a New Delhi based wire service indicated he was preparing himself and his party men for the bad news.
The opposition PDP camp was upbeat. The local Congressmen had generated a storm in the tea cup which was now spilling over to Delhi. The chief minister could simply take it no more. He was not sure the local orchestration was not blessed by Delhi. After all, past history of his grand father and father's alliances with Congress stood witness to the fact that New Delhi always flashed messages through unexpected quarters. Had the old Congress leader come just for the Khirbhawani festival? Could he afford to make utterances which would further marginalize him at 10-Janpath? Was the Congress out to prove itself in Jammu and Kashmir once again? Omar had no answers. He could only make inferences. He could not even fall back on the advice of his father for it is just less than three years since Dr. Farooq Abdullah made explicit announcement that he would be the chief minister of the state after 2008 elections. 10-Janpath had punctured the elder Abdullah's wish to be sworn in as the chief minister of the state for the 5th time.
Omar was the new face the Congress wanted to project. His secular credentials, forward looking image and friendship with Rahul Gandhi could not be matched by the elder Abdullah who had been labeled as 'undependable and mercurial'. How could Omar ask Papa whether the Congress meant mischief or not? He would have plainly told his son, "You seemed to know them better till the other day."
Omar rushed to Delhi for plan discussions. He went to see the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and told him politely that the voices of dissent seeking rotation of power in J&K were making his governance difficult. How could Omar Abdullah steer the state to "its promised destiny" if tremors kept shaking his chair every now and then? The Prime Minister assured Omar he would remain in saddle for the full six year term of the state legislative assembly. Omar had assurance from none less than the country's Prime Minister.
He told his media managers to sell the story fast to shoot down voices of dissent within the local Congress.
Interviews were arranged with 'friendly' local news agencies to highlight the assurance. The NC issued directives asking its party men to restrain from making statements critical of its Congress allies. Similar 'action' was taken by the local Congress. The storm appears to have settled, at least for the time being.
Omar Abdullah tweeted, "Most rewarding visit." He thanked Delhi apparently for the generous plan allocations. The 'thanksgiving' definitely included one for the Prime Minister's assurance.
All is visibly quiet on the 'northern front'. But, is it really? Would the local voices seeking rotation of the top job in favour of the Congress be permanently silenced? Had all that flutter been made without any approval from New Delhi? Can anyone in the local Congress, however, strong and mighty, afford to speak in terms unmusical to the ears at 10-Janpath? One does not need to be a great analyst of Congress politics to know the answers. The only question that still remains to be answered is whether Omar Abdullah knows the answers or not. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
