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| Farooq and Omar's mantra for regaining and retaining power | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 14: If on one hand the National Conference leadership has been relishing needling the Congress,with which it shares power, in Jammu and Kashmir on the other hand it has expressed willingness to campaign for the Congress in the ensuing Assembly elections in five states.But the NC leadership, especially its President,Dr Farooq Abdullah,and the Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah,,two lone NC faces that carry some sheen in the political markets outside the state,has made it clear that the two will campaign for the Congress if invited to do so.
Both Farooq and Omar are very keen to campaign for the Congress in those states where there is a sizeable chunk of muslim votes so that they could take the credit for whatever success the Congress achieves in the upcoming battle of the ballot.
Is it political diplomacy or duplicity on the part of the National Conference leadership when it keeps the state unit of the Congress on the tenterhooks and is keen to keep the AICC leadership in good humour ?Yes it is, but the NC leadership has some compulsions in doing so.
If in the Congress led UPA Government Farooq Abdullah enjoys power as a cabinet minister, in the same way his son,Omar had enjoyed power, though for a brief period,when he had been inducted in the BJP led NDA Ministry as Minister of State.Omar was not thrown out of the Ministry but had resigned.
One may call it political irony or pull of dynasty.Between 1996 and 2002 Farooq Abdullah remained Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir state and his son, Omar Abdullah, remained the union Minister of state,first holding commerce and then External Affairs portfolio, between 1999 and 2001. The father and son have reversed their roles. While the son is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir since 2008 the father is the union Minister since 2009.
Keeping itself by the right side of the powers that be in Delhi is a mantra that has been imbibed by Farooq Abdullah since 1984.It was after the coup staged by his brother-in-Law,G.M.Shah,that Farooq Abdullah,despite having been voted to power, lost the Chief Minister's "gaddi".About 12 NC MLAs led by G.M.Shah defected from the National Conference and formed the Government with the support of the Congress.
Farooq has learnt to live in peace and friendship with the party that is power in New Delhi.He has been heard saying that even the "brute majority "that a political party has in the state legislature in Jammu and Kashmir does not make the party invulnerable to schemes from the centre.
Hence in the interest of power in Jammu and Kashmir and a spoon of it in the centre the National Conference leadership enjoys playing a second fiddle to the Congress at the National level and relishes giving pin pricks to its partner, the Congress, in the border state. Both Farooq and Omar know it well that as long as the mother and her son are kept in good humour the PCC unit cannot dislodge the Omar led Government.
This way Omar keeps needling the Congress in the state to convey to the people and his party men that he is the boss. To ensure that his needling does not attract any reaction from the centre the Chief Minister poses as a loyal supporter of the mother and her son. This is his prescription for survival as Chief Minister. |
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