AICC sets plans to deal with rift in J&K Congress

Faced with the flare-up of factionalism in the J&K Congress unit and an increasing drift in the National Conference-Congress alliance, the AICC is working on a two-pronged plan to deal with these issues, it is learnt. The top leadership is finalising these plans in discussions with AICC general secretary in-charge of J&K, Syed Naseer Hussain, and CWC member Digvijaya Singh, whom the leadership has brought in to work with Hussain, as the AICC observer to deal with the coalition matters in the UT.

While PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra, facing rebellion and calls for resignation from a group of senior J&K Congress leaders, still has the top leadership's patronage, yet efforts will be made to address dissidents' grievances. It is learnt that the reconstitution of various J&K Congress organisational committees from PCC executive downwards, with broader representation, is on the cards. That process will also be an attempt to pacify and accommodate many unhappy J&K Congress leaders and their supporters, whose ties with Karra got further strained when he announced the dissolution of such committees.

The AICC's nation-wide restructuring of District Congress Committees (DCCs) will also happen in J&K, which will also be an occasion for new DCC presidents to take over from many incumbents, sources said. Incidentally, Karra 'unilaterally' naming some DCC presidents in the Valley had also become a bone of contention with rebels. The need to reinforce the Congress in the Jammu region, where the party was routed in the polls, with special focus on ushering in a younger line of leadership is being considered.


When ET asked AICC general secretary Hussain about the infighting in J&K party, he underplayed it and said the larger focus and mission is for organisation reinforcement in the UT. "We are now focussing on strengthening the J&K Congress organisation across the Valley, Jammu region and Ladakh. That is our top priority. Along with that, the J&K Congress is also mobilising the people to fight for restoration of statehood. Without statehood, the J&K government has no real administrative and financial powers, not even a say in the law and order and security matters. It is unacceptable," Hussain said.

Coalition table

It is learnt that the AICC is planning to seek a meeting between its representatives for J&K and NC supremo Farooq Abdullah and CM Omar Abdullah to discuss coalition matters. While the Congress leadership has been maintaining that it will not join the Omar cabinet before the restoration of statehood, yet the party leaders feel there are still ways of sharing power and responsibilities of the coalition. The Congress is also keen to get one of the four Rajya Sabha seats from J&K, long due for election and expect NC's cooperation in the matter. The Congress leadership is also open to reaching out to "like-minded" parties of J&K, especially in strengthening "the common causes", including strengthening the mass campaign for statehood, it is learnt.