After boycotting the oath ceremony of the new council of ministers headed by Omar Abdullah on October 27, disgruntled National Conference legislators, for the first time, came face to face with the top brass of the party on Friday to register their grievances and later put up a united front at the residence of Dr Farooq Abdullah, dismissing media reports of brewing rebellion in the party.
Before reaching the doorsteps of Dr Abdullah, a group of 15 legislators held at least four closed-door meetings, signalling that all is not well within the party.
Sensing mounting trouble, the top brass of the party invited them to hold parleys and discuss their genuine grievances.
During the marathon meeting, where Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was also present, party legislators submitted a long list of demands for immediate redressal.
Dissenting National Conference legislators were seeking a sweeping overhaul of the Government and changes in the party’s organisational structure. The legislators have reportedly called for the replacement of all incumbent ministers, including the change of portfolio Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, besides demanding the removal of Nasir Aslam Wani, an advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Emerging out of the meeting, party President Farooq Abdullah dismissed speculations about any fissures within the party as “baseless rumours”, saying it was united and “will never be broken”.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and all 15 legislators, Dr Abdullah said, “These baseless rumours being spread that the National Conference is fractured into factions are completely false.
“This party is united and organised. And those who think they can stop this party - this party has never been broken, nor will it ever be broken, God willing,” Farooq Abdullah said.
He said that the party leadership spoke to the disgruntled MLAs. “Their concerns were genuine, and they were examined very thoroughly. Everyone was heard.” God willing, some steps will be taken quickly, while others will be taken gradually to strengthen the party and the Government,” he said.
The NC president said the hardships of the people will be resolved, and along with the fight for the restoration of statehood, “the struggle for Article 370 and 35A will continue...and it will be taken to its logical conclusion”.
One of the disgruntled MLAs, Nazir Gurezi, said legislators reach out to the leadership with their issues from time to time.
“A few days ago, we sat together at a place, and from there, social media hyped it up as if a separate faction had emerged from the National Conference. No separate faction or party has emerged,” Gurezi said.
He added that there were some issues which the MLAs placed before the chief minister and the party president.
“They have given us their assurance regarding political matters and other issues. Some issues will be addressed immediately, and on others, work will be carried out gradually,” he said. Some of the vocal legislators who publicly vented their ire in the last couple of days remained tight-lipped after attending the meeting. Abdul Majeed Larmi told reporters that everything has been sorted out. We are not going anywhere; we are the foot soldiers of the party, and we will continue to work for the welfare of the masses. A senior MLA from Idgah, Mubarak Gul, when contacted by local reporters in Srinagar, avoided interacting with the media, claiming that Dr Abdullah has said everything. “We are with the party; I will not speak. You people twist our statements”.