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| Another alternative for Congress to keep people on its right side | | Outside Support To NC | | Neha
JAMMU, Dec 27: Will Chief Minister Omar Abdullah go after he completes three years in office on January 4, 2012? Or, will the Congress high command overlook the local Congress leadership and allow Omar Abdullah to run the coalition government during the remaining period of three years? There is no definite answer available. There is uncertainty. For, the Congress high command has neither accepted nor rejected the demand of the local Congress leadership seeking change of guard in Jammu and Kashmir. Significantly, even the JKPCC president has not overruled the possibility of Omar Abdullah vacating the chief minister's chair for a Congressman. Two days ago, he did say that the "issue of rotational chief ministership is currently not under consideration of the high command". But, at the same time, he reiterated his position, saying "it is for the Congress high command to take final decision on the issue". His statement did suggest that the issue of rotational chief ministership is very much alive and that anything can happen between now and January 4.
One can understand the limitations and compulsions of the JKPCC president. His task in the state is not that easy. He has to keep the morale of the Congress workers high by reassuring them that the Congress high command respects the sentiments of its local leadership and workers at the grass-roots level. At the same time, he cannot afford to go against the wishes of the high command, especially AICC general secretary and Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul Gandhi, who has friendly relations with Omar Abdullah. It is not a secret that Omar Abdullah would have been sacked or asked to put in his papers last summer, had Rahul Gandhi had not intervened from Kolkata. The JKPCC president cannot ignore this aspect and, hence, the middle path.
As said, things in the state are quite uncertain. Omar Abdullah can go. He can also be asked by the Congress high command to continue to lead the government. The Congress would be in an advantageous position if Omar Abdullah goes because it would be in the driver's seat for three years. This would enable the Congress party to compensate for the political losses it has suffered thus far at the hands of what the Congressmen call the "insensitive, unaccommodating and dictatorial NC". Besides, such a scenario could raise the morale of the otherwise highly demoralized Congress workers who want Omar Abdullah to pack up sooner than later.
The Congress would be in a difficult situation in case the high command decides otherwise. It would not only help the NC implement its own agenda in the state but would further demoralize the local Congress leadership and the party's workers at the grass-roots level. But more than that, the Congress party as a whole would become an object of ridicule and contempt, particularly in Jammu province where the people want the Congress ministers to "act and defeat the NC's divisive and controversial agendas". What happened in Jammu between November 25 and December 22 during the lawyers' strike should clinch the whole issue and establish that the Congress just can't afford to go against the popular sentiment in this province.
What, then, would be or could be the alternative for the Congress? The only alternative would be to withdraw support to the NC-led government and extend support to it from outside - issue based support. The exercise of this alternative might not help the Congress consolidate and expand further its constituency but it would surely help it act quite independently taking into account the sentiments of its constituency. In fact, it would be in a position to put pressure on the NC leadership and keep it always on tenterhooks. |
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