Why Congress raising its pitch on J&K statehood has irked National Conference: ‘Nothing less than sabotage'

Indian Express

3 days ago

The Congress's sudden announcement last week of protests in Jammu, Srinagar, and New Delhi seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood has not gone down well with ally National Conference (NC), with several leaders in the Omar Abdullah-led party labelling it a sabotage of its own efforts.
The J&K Congress's announcement coincided with the joint letter that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 16, demanding that a law be brought in the Monsoon Session of Parliament to restore J&K's statehood.
'This is nothing less than sabotage,' said an NC leader. 'For six years, they were silent about our plight, fearing it would hit their prospects in the elections. For nine months (since the formation of the government) we have been fighting for statehood and they have remained silent. Now that they have developed a sudden interest in statehood. What else can it be but sabotage?'
Since returning to power in a landslide win last year, the NC has limited its demand to the return of statehood rather than pushing for the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A. This has divided the NC itself, with leaders such as Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi criticising what they see as a climbdown by the party. However, the NC leadership led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah opted for a more practical and realistically achievable goal rather than antagonise the BJP-led Central government. This section of pragmatists in the party believes their approach is working and is hopeful that the Centre will soon decide on the statehood question. This is why these NC leaders believe that the Congress is either trying to take credit for their party's work or foil any possibility of return to statehood.
'We fail to understand the logic behind this campaign at this point,' said an NC leader. 'The common sense is that the Modi government is not going to buckle under pressure, or at least they will not let it be perceived that they have come under pressure. In this context, the Congress campaign will only create hurdles rather than facilitate it (return of statehood).'
Another leader wondered if the Congress had received any feelers about the restoration of statehood and wanted to take the credit for themselves. The CM, too, did not hide his frustration about his ally's actions, saying on Tuesday, 'We passed a resolution for it (statehood) in the very first Cabinet meeting and later in the Assembly. It is good that Congress is finally remembering this issue after a long time. But if they need our support, they should first talk to us.'
The CM said Congress had not reached out to the NC. 'We only read about these things in newspapers. No one reached out to us. Even during the recent INDIA bloc meeting, there was no mention of these things. Had they informed us, we would have joined.'
Congress leaders said they do not require anybody's permission before undertaking any political activity. 'What can the NC tell us? Whether it is Article 370, 35A or statehood, it was the Congress's gift to Kashmir. It is the Congress's responsibility to get back statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference doesn't look beyond the power binary. For them, the chair is everything,' said one leader.
Another Congress functionary said it was incorrect to say the party was silent on the issue for the last nine months. 'We are a national party and we have to follow the central command. Rahul ji and Kharge ji wrote to the Prime Minister. What else could we have done? Once the central command made a decision, the J&K unit followed.'
Though the Congress and the NC jointly contested the Assembly elections, the alliance has seen friction from day one. Leaders in both parties were against any pre-poll alliance and following the NC's win and the Congress's failure to make a mark, the latter stayed out of the government. Since then, there has been little bonhomie between the allies, and now the latest flashpoint threatens to pull them in different directions.