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Grassroots tensions looms large over NC-Cong alliance in J&K
The alliance was announced last month when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge visited Gupkar, the residence of NC president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar
With National Conference and Congress are jointly contesting J&K assembly elections, internal rift is quite visible within the grassroots with workers not seeing eye to eye despite the bonhomie between leaders.
The alliance was announced last month when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge visited Gupkar, the residence of NC president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar.
As per the seat sharing agreement, NC is contesting on 51 seats, Congress on 32 while one seat each was left to smaller allies CPI(M) and Panthers party. The NC and Congress are locked in a friendly contest on seven seats. Three prominent seats among them are Sopore, Banihal and Doda, where both the parties have fielded strong candidates against each other. In Kashmir Congress is contesting on 10 seats, including three seats, where parties will be engaged in “friendly” contest.
However, as the campaign picked up speed, the bonhomie has started to vanish at several places. “It’s an alliance of leaders not the workers. I don’t think many of our prominent workers are campaigning for the National Conference or their workers are doing the same for our candidates,” said a former Congress legislator and senior leader.
On Monday former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Vikar Rasool lashed out at the top leadership of the National Conference, including Omar Abdullah’s father Farooq Abdullah and grandfather Lt Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, and also criticised Omar Abdullah’s campaigning style in elections during a public rally in Banihal, Jammu.
“A person who is unsure of his own victory, how can he defeat us here,” said Vikar.
NC vice president, Omar Abdullah on Tuesday termed Vikar Rasool as a foolish. “He (Vikar) is foolish and his own party criticised him.” Even Congress also disassociated from the remarks of the former JKPCC president and termed the remarks as “personal opinion”.
There are many assembly constituencies from where disgruntled leaders have filed their nominations against the official candidates of NC and Congress. A prominent National Conference leader and former legislator, who was incharge of Shalteng assembly segment, Irfan Shah, filed nominations as an Independent against the official alliance candidate and J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra. “The NC leader who is contesting as an Independent could hamper chances of Karra,” said a National Conference leader.
Even a video of NC member of Parliament Mian Altaf Husain went viral on the social media in which he could be seen saying that NC should have contested elections on its own. HT couldn’t check the veracity of the purported video which is now being used by opposition parties to mock NC-Congress alliance.
“In Kashmir there are more troubles than Jammu and there are problems with every new alliance. But mostly the alliance will be successful for both parties in Jammu as well as Kashmir,” said another Congress leader.
However, what has gone in the favour of the alliance is that senior leaders have held big joint rallies which were addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and NC president and former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah in south Kashmir and more joint rallies are scheduled for coming days, especially Rahul Gandhi will be campaigning in north Kashmir and central Kashmir.
“The alliance will be good to attract fence sitters and new voters. The alliance would have been more fruitful have they included the PDP,” said Haroon Rashid, a political analyst.
This isn’t the first time Congress and NC have cobbled an alliance, in 1987 both parties contested jointly. In 2008 the NC and Congress formed coalition government in J&K for six years with Omar Abdullah becoming chief minister. Weather this alliance be successful in J&K will be answered only on October 8.
