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| Soz takes on NC, Kamaal takes on Cong | | Coalition of Disparate Outfits | | Neha
Jammu, Apr 10: The Congress is once again up in arms against the state government of which it is the most crucial part. The NC, which is leading the government in the state since January 2009, has also upped its ante and taken on the Congress without whose support it can remain in power even for a day.
That the Congress and the NC have no love lost for each other again became clear yesterday, when JKPCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz openly accused the NC of creating "hurdles in the empowerment of local bodies, including panchayats" and Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, who was again elevated to the post of additional general secretary two days ago much to the chagrin of the Congress party, accused the Congress of not allowing expansion of the council of ministers. "We are ready for the expansion but, unfortunately, there has been no green signal from the Congress in this regard," Kamaal said yesterday. He did not say that the status quo suits the NC.
It needs to be noted that if the council of ministers is expanded, the number of Congress ministers in the Cabinet would go up and the two portfolios of R&B and Education, which are presently with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, would be in the hands of the Congress. Why should the Chief Minister expand his ministry when the status quo allows him to hold more portfolios? In fact, Omar Abdullah yesterday itself overruled the possibility of cabinet expansion. In his micro blog twitter, he wrote: "For those of you speculating about reshuffle in the Cabinet in J&K there is nothing in the pipeline at the moment".
Any way, the JKPCC has been asking its own government since long to empower the local bodies by adopting and implementing 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, but the NC has not been taking any action in this regard for obvious reasons, including its determination to retain full control over all institutions, so that it could manipulate things in its favour. It is this indifferent attitude of the NC leadership that has infuriated the JKPCC leadership, especially Saif-ud-Din Soz.
His patience has, it seems, ended now. How else should one interpret what he said in Jammu while addressing a public rally? Soz, among other things, said: "The Congress in Jammu and Kashmir is strongly in favour of empowerment of the local bodies but, unfortunately, the NC seems disinterested in the adoption and implementation of 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments in Jammu and Kashmir. The NC leadership needs to open the statute books to know more about 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment. We don't want any confrontation with the NC, but will pursue our agenda using democratic means. We have asked our coalition partner NC in the cabinet and outside to work for implementing 73rd constitutional amendment, so that Panchayats are strengthened. The Congress ministers have raised these issues in the Cabinet and it is up to the cabinet to consider upon them as soon as possible".
Those who believe that the NC would endorse the suggestion of the JKPCC president are living in a fool's paradise. The NC is not going to oblige the JKPCC because it has in the person of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi its greatest supporter and Rahul Gandhi is one person who can cheerfully destroy his own party to keep the likes of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in good humour. Has he not destroyed the Congress in UP by allotting more and more tickets to those in the just-held assembly elections who defected from the BSP and the SP just on the eve of assembly elections?
If the JKPCC really means business, it has no other option but to assert its position and authority like the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Bannerjee asserts and forces the Congress-led UPA Government accept all of its demands. It has to tell the Congress high command that it cannot work with an outfit which behaves in a dictatorial manner and refuses to accommodate it and its views on governance. Even otherwise, the state Congress leadership has no other option but to review take on the NC which has been systematically destroying the Congress party in the state. |
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