JK Cong chief accuses NC of repeated betrayal after tiff over RS seat

Srinagar, Oct 14 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Qara on Tuesday accused Omar Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) of "repeated betrayal of trust" and said by denying Congress a safe seat in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, its alliance partner is moving away from the INDIA bloc.

Qara, who chaired an important meeting of the party members on Sunday, spoke in no uncertain terms about the differences with the NC and accused it of having "questionable motives" since the formation of the alliance government in the Union Territory.

"We have submitted our report to the party headquarters for taking further action," Qara told PTI over phone.

He said the NC's actions exposed an intent to marginalise Congress while exploiting its support.

During the Sunday meeting, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress chief gave a detailed breakdown of the partnership with the NC to six MLAs and other office bearers.

"By backtracking on the promise of providing a single safe seat in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, the National Conference is tactically moving away from the INDIA alliance," Qara said.

He outlined grievances against the alliance partner's leadership ahead of the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections on October 24 and termed it as the tipping point.

"The NC president, Farooq Abdullah, had explicitly promised one safe seat to the Congress in recognition of its pivotal role," he said, adding the denial of this commitment was deemed a "blatant betrayal" and a violation of the fundamental principles of alliance dharma.

The NC had announced three candidates for the Rajya Sabha last week and offered the fourth one to the Congress. However, the Congress decided not to file its candidates, prompting the alliance partner to announce the fourth candidate on Monday.

Qara, however, accused the NC of disregarding alliance principles and ultimately betraying its commitment on a crucial Rajya Sabha seat.

"We seek a future where Congress can emerge as a strong, vibrant and independent force, free from the crutches of unreliable alliances," he said, emphasising that his party's initial decision to join hands with the NC was driven by the "higher purpose" of restoring dignity and countering divisive forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NC has 41 MLAs, and in case the Congress withdraws the support of its six members, the strength of the Abdullah-led government is reduced to 48 in the 90-member assembly. The government is supported by six Independent members and one from the CPM.

The opposition bloc consists of the BJP with 28 seats, the PDP with 3 seats, and one MLA each from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference. One seat is held by the party of Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla Rashid Engineer.

With the effective strength of the Assembly at 88 (due to the vacant Nagrota seat following the death of BJP leader Devinder Singh Rana, and the unrepresented Budgam seat after Abdullah chose to retain Ganderbal), the majority mark is now 45.

The Congress chief said that Sunday's meeting was called for deliberation on the future of his party in Jammu and Kashmir where it can "emerge as a strong, vibrant, and independent force, free from the 'Baisakhi' (crutches) of unreliable alliances".

"As the senior partner, INC made significant sacrifices, particularly during the 2024 Assembly Elections. Despite our national stature and organisational strength, we accepted a less-than-fair seat-sharing arrangement, prioritising unity and the broader interests of the nation over our own gains," he said.

The Congress accepted the unfavourable terms during the 2024 polls as an "elder brother" to prioritise unity, he said, adding, "However, the NC's actions have repeatedly betrayed this trust, revealing their dubious intentions from the outset." Qara also drew the attention of the members on Sunday towards the "provocative" statements by the NC leadership and also termed the statements by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as "intolerable," referring to his remark during the poll campaign that the Congress leadership should focus outside Kashmir during campaigning.

Most critically, the party highlighted Abdullah's praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he suggested, "Whatever PM says, he fulfills, so we can bank on him". The Congress viewed this as signalling a "soft stance toward BJP", he said.

He also said there was a lack of consultation on statehood and said the NC-led cabinet passed a resolution on statehood restoration without engaging the Congress in meaningful consultation, effectively excluding the coalition partner's input and undermining its co-stakeholder role.

The outright rejection by the NC of constituting a coordination committee, a standard alliance mechanism for ensuring smooth functioning and addressing the concerns, also indicated sidelining of the Congress workers, he said.

The NC distanced itself and questioned a powerful, statewide protest launched by the Congress demanding justice and statehood, displaying a "step-backwards attitude" that weakened the collective voice, according to Qara. PTI SKL RT RT RT