Ahead of completing five years in office on January 5, 2014, the alliance partners in the Omar Abdullah-led coalition Government in Jammu & Kashmir have once again started striking discordant notes to spoil each other’s party.
On the last day of eventful 2013, first the Cabinet meeting chaired by Omar Abdullah witnessed exchange of ‘hot words’ over the contentious issue of implementation of 73rd amendment, interim report on Kishtwar violence and later in the day, the National Conference and section of Congress leaders, owing proximity to Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, issued strongly worded Press statements claiming to go it alone in to the lok Sabha and the Assembly polls without forming any sort of pre-poll alliance.
According to official sources, “the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister lasted barely 30 minutes and ended abruptly as consensus eluded alliance partners on variety of contentious issues.” No official statement was issued by the State Information department till late evening.
Apparently, provoked by the developments in the civil secretariat Provincial president of the National Conference Devender Singh Rana issued a Press statement claiming that entering into any sort of alliance will jeopardise the larger interest of the party.
Rana was responding to a recent statement of Union Health Minister in which he had stated that the party workers were not in favour of forging any alliance with National Conference for the Assembly polls in the State.
Rana, a close aide of Omar, said the party workers and functionaries have all along been pitching for going to polls independently keeping in view the premier character of National Conference in Jammu & Kashmir politics.
Rana, in his statement, also said that the National Conference Working Committee has authorised president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take a final call on this important issue and whatever their decision is, that will be final for us because we are a disciplined cadre.
Responding to the statement of the National Conference a section of Azad loyalists issued another statement claiming the Congress party would go all alone in 2014 elections, and would not ally with National Conference, ‘as cadre of the party were not happy with the incumbent dispensation. However,the statement issued by the Congress leaders was not authenticated by the Pradesh Congress committee.
In their joint statement leaders of Congress party said, “the party will contest the next lok Sabha and the Assembly elections in 2014 on its own “without any alliance or understanding with any other party.”
“Congress party cadre and people in general are not happy with Omar led Government and they welcome the decision of Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and J&K Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Saif-ud-Din Soz, while addressing a public gathering in South Kashmir’s Shangus made it clear that Congress will go alone in the polls scheduled in 2014”.