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| Congress workers vocal, ministers indifferent | | CM By Rotation | | Rustam
EARLY TIMES REPORT
jammu, June 20: Should the NC rule the state for a full term of six years? Ask this question to any Congress in Jammu. His answer would be a big NO. On the other hand, the answer would be: The NC must abdicate in favour of the Congress party after it completes its three years in office, i.e., January 4, 2012. During the last three days, this scribe ascertained the views of several Congressmen, including some leaders and former ministers, on the issue of rotational chief minister-ship. Believe me everyone, without any exception, expressed the view that the Congress must occupy the office of chief minister in January 2012. Everyone on the condition of anonymity told this scribe that the Congress must be in the driver's seat after 2011.
They put forth several arguments to justify their stand. Some of the arguments were (1) the "continuation of Omar Abdullah as chief minister for a full term of six years would mar the electoral prospects of the Congress party in the state in general and Jammu province in particular"; (2) the "chief minister and other NC ministers are concerned only with Kashmir, thus leaving the people of Jammu province high and dry and providing an opportunity to the people to question the very status and credibility of the Congress party"; (3) the "state government has been evolving and implementing policies that are not only against the people of Jammu province but are basically Kashmir-centric and militant-friendly"; (4) the "state government has been ignoring the Congress workers"; (5) the "NC is pursuing policies which has, instead of bridging the gulf between the state and New Delhi, further widened the gulf between the two, thus negating the work done by Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao"; (6) "the people of Jammu hate the ideology as advocated by the NC"; (7) "the NC has rendered the Congress party ineffective and unreal for all practical purposes, thus enabling parties like the JKNPP to call the Congress 'B-team' of the NC; (8) the "NC is advancing its interests at the cost of the Congress party"; (9) the "only duty of the Congress under the present arrangement is to endorse whatever the NC does"; and so on.
All this shows the extent to which the Jammu-based Congressmen have turned angry with the NC. However, what was more striking was their sharp attack on the Congress high command and the Jammu-based Congress ministers. Their argument was that neither the Congress high command nor the Jammu-based ministers are interested in the change of guard. "Rahul Gandhi (Congress general Secretary), who knows nothing about J&K, is close to Omar Abdullah and he appears to be the main obstacle. In fact, Omar Abdullah is there as the Chief Minister primarily because of Rahul Gandhi. The Jammu-based ministers are indifferent to their demand for rotational chief minister-ship because they feel the change of guard would go against them. Such a change would adversely impact their position. Some of them even believe they would not get the portfolios and the position they at present enjoy," they told. To be more precise, their grouse was more against the Congress high command and the Jammu-based minister than against the NC. They said: "The Congress high command and the Jammu-based Congress ministers are responsible for the all the troubles and difficulties the Congress has been facing in the state under the present dispensation."
One cannot but endorse the viewpoint of the protagonists of rotational chief minister-ship. The Congress is indeed in deep trouble. However, what has inspired them were the statements issued by the two senior Congress leaders and former Union Ministers M L Fotedar and Karan Singh on June 13 in Srinagar - statements against the NC and in favour of change of guard. They have pinned their faith in these two Congress leaders and have entertained the belief that the "Congress might occupy the chair of chief minister after six months." |
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