Rift over Art 370 rocks NC-Cong alliance as CM Omar completes a month in office

Jammu: As the Omar Abdullah-led coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir marks one month in office, the growing friction between National Conference (NC) and Congress over Article 370 after the legislative assembly passed a resolution seeking the “restoration of “special status and constitutional guarantees” for J&K has put the alliance of two parties on shaky ground.
Although the Congress holds a minor role in the coalition, with just six MLAs in the 90-member Assembly, it distanced itself from the resolution immediately after assembly session with Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hamid Karra’s fresh statement causing a massive row. His remarks that the resolution passed by the government made no mention of statehood or Article 370 have left the NC leadership further embarrassed and red-faced.
Top Congress leaders, including President Mallikarjun Kharge, clarified that the party had not endorsed the restoration of Article 370 and suggested that the resolution was primarily focused on the restoration of statehood.
The fallout has intensified with criticism from PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, People’s Conference leader Sajjad Lone, and other Kashmir-based parties, who have publicly called on the NC to clarify its position on Article 370, putting the party (NC) in a difficult and uncomfortable spot.
On October 16, Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as the Union Territory got its first elected government after six years. The Congress opted out of the new Cabinet, citing its demand for statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, as promised by the Centre, and vowed that it would continue to fight for it.
Steering Congress clear of the controversy, Karra while endorsing the statement of his national president further clarified that the party supported the Assembly resolution advocating “statehood” with assurances for land, jobs, and natural resources. He asserted that following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the abrogation of Article 370, the sole feasible demand for the Congress was “statehood.”
Karra’s statement also followed the strong warning by the NC Lok Sabha Aga Ruhullah, a vocal advocate for the restoration of Article 370, to Congress leadership that no party (Congress) leader has the right to misinterpret the intent behind the Assembly resolution.
“The purpose of that resolution is to express the people’s disapproval of all the amendments and unconstitutional abrogation of the guaranteed (Special) Status of J&K from the year 1953 to 2019. This resolution calls for the return or all the guarantees in their original shape and form as was operational before 1953 including Art 370 and 35A. Let alone JKPCC or any other entity. Even if anyone from within @JKNC_tries to misinterpret the resolution otherwise and against the wishes of the people, will be rejected and pushed by the people to a corner of irrelevance as the allies of BJP were in the last election,” Ruhullah said in a statement posted on ‘X’.
“The future of this alliance will depend on the ability of leaders of two parties to bridge these divides, but as things stand, the road ahead looks turbulent. Ultimately, the contentious legacy of Article 370 continues to shape the politics of J&K. Whether Congress and NC can find common ground or are destined for a parting of ways remains to be seen, but the political reverberations of their decisions will undoubtedly be far-reaching,” a senior NC leader said declining to be named.
Pertinently, the controversy surrounding Article 370, following the legislative assembly's resolution, has overshadowed all governance and development matters during the Omar Abdullah government's first month in office.
The NC leadership, including NC President Farooq Abdullah, has insisted that the alliance with Congress remains intact for now and accused the BJP of using the issue of Article 370 abrogation to attack Congress politically, particularly in the context of ongoing elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Updated On 11/18/2024 3:04:45 AM

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