Jammu, Feb 02: Senior Congress leader and legislator Nizamuddin Bhat on Monday clarified the party’s stance within the Jammu & Kashmir government alliance while voicing strong grievances over its functioning. He stated the coalition was formed to counter the BJP’s “aggression and attitude” but has failed to deliver on collective commitments to the people.
Speaking to Kashmir Convener after a crucial meeting of alliance legislators with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the Congress MLA from Bandipora asserted that the “pre-poll alliance” with the National Conference (NC) remains intact but is “not satisfactory.”
“The alliance is not based on any shareholdership,” Bhat emphasized. “The pre-poll alliance was against the BJP’s aggression and attitude towards Jammu and Kashmir. We had a common ground, and we succeeded in that. A popular government was formed.”
However, he pointedly added that after the government’s formation, the coalition needed to fulfill its “collective commitments and promises.” While acknowledging that the NC holds the authority and control in the arrangement, Bhat stressed the urgent need to address public issues.
“There are issues of unemployment, electricity, gas, development, disaster management, women empowerment, criminalized politics, respect for institutions, respect for assembly members, their privileges and protocol, the security of the common man, respect, identity, and statehood,” he stated, listing a comprehensive charter of concerns. “All these issues are our common ground.”
Bhat revealed that the Congress has proposed forming a coordination committee within the alliance to systematically address these lapses and ensure a joint approach. “The lapses that have been there till now need to be removed,” he said.
Dismissing speculation that the Congress is angling for a greater share of power or cabinet berths, Bhat clarified, “This is not a matter of sharing… It is a matter of collective good and a collective approach.” He denied that the party was trying to “create pressure” for a cabinet expansion, calling it a mischaracterization.
“We are not being taken on board on issues,” he contended, framing the core demand as the need for a unified stance to confront New Delhi on Jammu & Kashmir’s rights. “We have to have a collective approach to pressure New Delhi to give us our constitutional rights, to restore statehood, and to provide us with sufficient funds.”
The Congress leader underscored that the alliance’s objective is for a “larger good” and is fundamentally “against criminal politics” and the “excesses of the BJP.” He clarified, “We have not come to confront them, nor do we tell them to confront Delhi… But there is a need for a joint approach to the issues in the interest of the people.”
“The objective of the alliance is reform,” Bhat added. “If we have to go together, we will have to go together with dignity, with equal responsibility, and all in the interest of the people.”
Notably, the Budget Session began in Jammu on Monday with the address by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, highlighting the ongoing complex dynamic between the elected government and the central administration in the Union Territory.
Comments are closed.