Srinagar, September 13
The Congress party is deliberating on Jammu and Kashmir after the resignation of Agriculture Minister Abdul Aziz Zargar, over his alleged links with militants.
Senior Congress leader, Saifuddin Soz is to join the members of the Kashmir Committee of the party in Delhi to discuss the situation following allegations and resignation of the minister from the government in which the party is a partner.
Party sources said the minister’s resignation over the allegations has damaged the image of the government and can affect the Congress that is facing elections in four states in November. These sources said that allegation of supporting a government with “pro-militant leanings” could become a liabilty in the Assembly elections.
There is a fear that the BJP may use this to counter censuring of the Gujarat government by the Supreme Court in the Best Bakery case. A section of the leadership feels that the Congress should take a firm stand on the issue so that opponents get no advantage in the polls.
Another section feels that disturbing coalition arrangement in Kashmir on this issue would be worse political strategy. The Congress will get discredited for undermining the elected government that came as a result of “free and fair elections” in September last year. Sources said the meeting had to decide on these crucial issues and whatever was decided will chart a new course in Kashmir politics vis-a-vis the coalition government. A meeting of the AICC is also being held to review some of recent important decisions” taken by the government. It is in the aftermath of the recent decision of Jammu and Kashmir government to wrest control of Muslim Auqaf Trust (MAT). Among other things political developments related to the coalition government in the state, and also the split in the Hurriyat Conference may also come up.
Sources in the Congress revealed here that enough was not being done by the coalition government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. It is also learnt that the functioning of the government was not to the expectations of the party, as enough was not being done at the ground level.
Though Delhi meeting is regarded as a routine one, the party sources, revealed that it would be briefed about the developments in the state which include overall situation here.
Meanwhile, the National Conference has also expressed concern over what it called ‘silence’ of the Congress party on the “Mufti government militant nexus”. The party president Omar Abdullah has said that it would jeopardise national security. He claimed that the Congress had been aware of Mufti’s pro-militant leanings. He said the Congress as the senior partner of the coalition government had to share the blame or else act. Omar held that “silence is only an approval of the wrong being done by Mufti Government”.
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