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| Omar has displeased the Congress by flouting coalition dharma | | Crumbling coalition | | Neha
JAMMU, Nov 10: Who says the relations between the NC and the Congress have been harmonized? Who says the state Congress has forgiven Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his uncle Mustafa Kamaal for the wrongs they have committed? Who says the issue of rotational chief minister has been settled once for all? Who says Omar Abdullah would surely serve as Chief Minister for full term of six years? Who says AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi (read Congress high command) is for extending unflinching and unqualified support to Omar Abdullah? The relations between the two coalition partners are one of bitterness and animosity. Bridges have not been built. Only the tone has changed. The JKPCC has not at all forgiven Omar Abdullah and Mustafa Kamaal. The issue of rotational Chief Minister continues to keep Omar Abdullah awake in the night and the local Congress leadership on its toes. As for Rahul Gandhi, his attitude towards Omar Abdullah has undergone a radical change.
That the gulf between the Congress and the NC has further widened could be seen from what the JKPCC chief, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, candidly and unequivocally said yesterday during his interview to an English language daily. He, among other things, said: "I will tell you honestly that even Rahul Gandhi is not happy with governance here and he expressed his disapproval when he visited the state last month. He was not satisfied with what is happening here. Many young entrepreneurs talked to him during the visit and raised the issue of a kind of 'disconnect' between the youth of the state and the government…Coalition is a compulsion and we have to be in coalition but we have fallen short of expectations. There are many things that could have been done better in the governance and action against corruption. There is lot of corruption in the system which has made the life of common man difficult…It was rather premature and created discomfort (read Omar's October 21 announcement on AFSPA). After all there is a coalition government in place and our views have to be taken into consideration. We should also know what is happening. The issue created a lot of confusion. I never said AFSPA won't go if the CM says so. Now the CM has accepted my principle that Congress has to be consulted with others. I discussed the issue with the central leaders also and they agreed that there has to be consultation on the issue. The CM has accepted that the issue will be discussed in the cabinet and the unified command….There are so many things going on against the spirit of coalition. This coalition suffers from an inherent difficulty that National Conference has all along enjoyed power all alone. They are not used to sharing power. First they were out of power for six years. Now it is their first experience of coalition. It is happening with them for the first time…"
As for the demand for replacement of the NC rule with the Congress rule in January 2012, Prof Soz said, "it is a subject which falls under the purview of Congress party high command. The party workers definitely express their grievances which have been conveyed to the high command. But ultimately it is the party high command that will take a decision…" He made two other very significant statements. One was that "Congressmen feel that he (Taj Mhi-ud-Din) is more loyal than the king, let him enjoy that status… But we have to look after the interests of the party". The other was that the PDP-Congress coalition "worked well for most of the time"; that "in politics one can't say with certainty where things will go"; that "there is no guarantee for any situation"; and that "circumstances will decide". In other words, Prof Soz clearly suggested that the Congress has not closed its options.
What Prof Soz said should clear many doubts and suggest that an extreme form of mistrust has gripped the coalition. But what was more important was the timing of the interview. He gave the interview the day the Durbar reopened in Jammu. What does all this suggest? It suggests that the NC-Congress coalition is crumbling and that there is the possibility of the Congress, the PDP, the JKNPP and a few independent MLAs forming a new coalition. Has the countdown started? |
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