Srinagar: The J&K unit of the Congress today skipped a meeting convened by its alliance partner, the National Conference (NC), to formulate a unified strategy for the upcoming autumn session of the J&K Assembly, the Rajya Sabha polls, and the by-elections to the Budgam and Nagrota Assembly constituencies.
However, the NC held the meeting, and CPI(M) legislator M. Y. Tarigami was also in attendance.
A day ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly session, the NC convened a crucial Legislature Party meeting in Srinagar on Wednesday evening to discuss the upcoming session’s agenda, key legislative issues, and the party’s strategy inside the House.
The meeting was chaired by party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and attended by vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with senior party legislators and other functionaries.
In a post-meet interaction with the media, the junior Abdullah told reporters that this was the customary Legislature Party meeting of the National Conference ahead of the Assembly session.
“We met today along with M. Y. Tarigami and the independent members to chalk out our strategy for the session,” the CM said.
Though details about what transpired within the meeting, which was held at a hotel in Srinagar, were not disclosed, Chief Minister and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah told reporters that whether the Congress attended the meeting or not, the party would never support the BJP.
“Congress held its meeting today at its party headquarters, and they have already stated that they will not support the BJP. Congress and our party are different. They have to wait for a signal from their high command. As it was on their high command’s direction, Congress left the Nagrota seat for the NC,” the CM said, adding that this election would be different, as Rajya Sabha elections are being held after ten years.
Abdullah disclosed that the NC’s Rajya Sabha candidate, Shami Oberoi, had already met PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to seek her support. “Our party president, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, has already spoken to Mehbooba Ji and asked for her support,” Abdullah told reporters, adding that Mehbooba Mufti had assured she would consult her party colleagues and take a decision.
“But the party (PDP) is yet to make any formal announcement,” said Abdullah.
Ridiculing allegations of secret deals with the BJP, Abdullah said: “We never offered anything to the BJP. We don’t operate like them, working behind the scenes. Had we made any offer, it would have been done openly, in front of everyone,” he said.
It may be recalled here that the fissures within the NC-Cong coalition have been more than visible over the past few weeks, particularly after the NC denied Congress a safe seat in the Rajya Sabha elections. Instead, the NC offered a riskier seat, which Congress declined to contest. The NC then proposed the Nagrota Assembly seat to Congress, which the party also rejected.
Will send in writing our suggestions: Cong
The Congress Legislature Party in Jammu and Kashmir did not attend a meeting with ally National Conference (NC) on Wednesday, saying it has written to the party high command about certain suggestions and sentiments of its MLAs.
“We discussed the invitation extended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah to our MLAs for a meeting. We are sending in writing the suggestions, sentiments and wishes of the members to the party high-command,” Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Tariq Hamid Karra told reporters after a Congress Legislature Party meeting here.
He said in view of the sensitivity of important matters, the meeting with the NC has been deferred till Thursday.
“We have decided to defer the meeting till Thursday in order to have more discussions and deliberations on sensitive and important matters,” Karra said. (With PTI Inputs)
