Srinagar, July 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was miffed at the absence of Tara Chand, his deputy in state administration, as he skipped the All Party Meeting Monday last. But the reason remained vague up until today as it turned to be off shoot of the bickering within the factions of congress headed by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and JKPCC chief Saifuddin Soz.
“It is highly unfortunate and against democratic values that the leadership of state congress party preferred not to call meeting of both congress executive and legislature party prior to participating in All Party Meeting (APM) called by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah,” said Abdul Gani Vakil, MLC and senior congress leader who owes allegiance to the faction headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Vakil went a step head calling the leadership of Soz as ‘autocratic’, asserting: “The height of autocracy can be gauged from the fact that both Choudhary Mohammed Aslam and Tara Chand were not taken into confidence nor did the JKPCC leadership preferred to invite them for the meeting,” he said.
Vakil’s assertion has backing of a battery of leaders including CLP Leader and MLA of Surankote, Choudhary Mohammed Aslam, former MLC P Namgyal, Haji Nisar, Gulchain Singh Charak, Suman Bhagat, MLC Haji Ali Mohammed Bhat, MLC Jehangir Mir, MLC Subhash Gupta, MLA Banihal Viqar Rasool and MLA Ramban Ashok Kumar among others.
“Party never discussed crisis surrounding ruling coalition government in which congress is a partner due to killings across Kashmir and hence failed to put forth its point of view properly during the meeting,” he added.
The rebel faction has urged the Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, to take “strong” note of it.
As the All Party Meeting was going on, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was learnt to have lodged a complaint with JKPCC chief Saifuddin Soz about the absence of Tara Chand. In-fact, Omar suggested Soz to take up the matter with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, sources said.
Even though the factionalism within the state congress was hid by the leaders during the Prime Minister Manmohan Sngh’s visit to valley, the party continues to battle the disparity. There have been ample instances when the difference among the party functionaries came to open. Among the prominent was just recently when the factions staged separate functions in South Kashmir.
While Azad led faction organized function to pay tributes to slain Congress leader Maqbool Dar in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, another faction led by Soz held a rally on party’s 125th year of foundation in the same district on the same day.
No comments:
Post a Comment