ibn sultan
Srinagar, Dec 10: Reacting to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s criticism of the INDIA bloc, Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra said, in a lighter vein, that if Omar Abdullah believes he will get statehood back by criticising the INDIA bloc, he is welcome to continue criticising it.
Karra said the Congress alliance with the National Conference was formed with a specific purpose: to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party out of the power corridor. For this, he said, the Congress party made sacrifices in terms of seat adjustments and distribution. “Jointly we achieved that purpose,” he said.
However, Karra, while talking to the news agency Kashmir News Trust, added that after the government was formed, the Congress, as an alliance partner, practically ceased to exist in matters of governance. He said that although Congress, at the national level, should be the senior partner, “that part is missing” in Jammu and Kashmir. “There is no consultation process. We are not being consulted as a partner,” he remarked.
Karra said this has created a serious problem for Congress workers on the ground. He pointed out that people are facing issues related to water and electricity and are regularly hit by new government orders, yet the party cannot question the government openly as it is part of the alliance. “A problem has arisen as we are unable to answer the electorate. We cannot answer the people,” he said. [KNT]
