ibn sultan
Srinagar: The uneasy alliance between the Congress and the National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir appears to be on the brink of collapse, as the J&K Congress unit has submitted a strongly-worded report to the party high command, accusing the NC of violating coalition principles and sidelining its partner.
According to sources, the report — sent to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) — outlines a series of grievances against the NC, including what Congress leaders have termed as the party’s “reneging” on its promise to offer a “safe seat” to Congress in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. The report also highlights repeated instances of unilateral decision-making by NC leaders and the deliberate exclusion of Congress MLAs from key policy discussions.
“The high command has been informed that the J&K Congress leadership is deeply upset over the NC’s backtracking on a commitment made to senior leader Sonia Gandhi regarding the Rajya Sabha polls,” a senior Congress source said. “Local leaders are now under mounting pressure to reconsider their participation in the coalition government,” the source added.
The report reportedly documents a pattern of NC’s unilateralism, including its refusal to form a coordination committee to ensure smoother governance between the two allies. It also mentions growing frustration within the Congress over what it describes as the NC leadership’s “dismissive attitude” toward Congress inputs in both governance and administrative matters.
In addition, the J&K unit has submitted its feedback on upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and the party’s strategy for the Budgam and Nagrota bypolls. Sources said the Congress high command will take a final call on both matters — the RS poll voting strategy and the future of the alliance in J&K — after reviewing the report.
The alliance tensions reportedly peaked after the NC refused to cede a “safe” Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress, leading the latter to decline contesting a “riskier” one. Congress leaders allege that Farooq Abdullah had personally assured Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi of the seat arrangement, but his son Omar Abdullah later denied any such understanding during a meeting with party MP and J&K in-charge Syed Nasir Hussain.
The Congress high command is expected to review the situation closely before making a final decision on whether to continue the alliance with the NC or go solo ahead of the polls.(Agencies)
