Azad will prove majority, says Soz
The Congress high command is caught in a delicate situation on Jammu and Kashmir, where chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has launched an all-out operation to mobilise numbers to survive the July 7 trust-vote after the PDP pull-out.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: The Congress high command is caught in a delicate situation on Jammu and Kashmir, where chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has launched an all-out operation to mobilise numbers to survive the July 7 trust-vote after the PDP pull-out.
Apprehensive about Mr Azad poaching on a section of its MLAs, the PDP leadership has registered a strong protest, cautioning the party high command that any misadventure by the chief minister months ahead of the assembly poll could trigger a crisis in the sensitive border state.
The political tug-of-war in Srinagar comes at a time when the Congress central leadership is working on the number games in the Lok Sabha to shield the Manmohan Singh regime from the Left pull-out threat. The PDP, even after its withdrawal of support to the Azad government, remains an ally of the UPA at the Centre. The Congress central leadership is sensitive to the tactical utility of PDP, which has just one Lok Sabha MP, given the attempts to project the Indo-US civil nuclear deal as ���anti-Muslim���.
The PDP leadership���s warning against Mr Azad���s game-plan is learnt to have come after the seasoned chief minister reached out to Ghulam Hussein Mir, a powerful Mufti-aide-turned-rebel. It is no secret that both Mr Azad and Mr Mir have many friends among the 17 PDP MLAs.
After the PDP withdrawal of support, the Azad government needs a minimum of seven additional votes to survive the trust-vote. Till now, AICC has given Mr Azad a free hand to deal with the situation in Srinagar.
Talking to ET from Srinagar, PCC president Saifuddin Soz said: ���We are confident that the Azad government will demonstrate its majority on the floor of the House on July 7. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are overwhelmingly opposed to the prospects of governor���s rule in the state. They had a very bad experience of governor���s rule in the past���. Mr Soz has also said the state Congress was not in touch with the PDP leadership after the latter pulled out of the ruling coalition.
As of now, the PDP leadership says it was least bothered about the fate of the Congress-led state government as it has already severed its ties with the Azad regime. But it remains to be seen whether the Muftis will issue a formal whip, asking its 17 MLAs to vote against the state government or abstain from voting.
The PDP decision will indicate the level of party leadership���s confidence in retaining its MLAs at the moment of reckoning. Though the National Conference leadership has already announced that its 24 MLAs will vote against the Azad regime, it remains to be seen whether the chief minister, who is close to the Abdullahas, will secure some ���helpful absentees��� from NC MLAs at the time of voting.
The Congress sources also say they have serious doubts about Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh���s capacity to ensure that his four MLAs will vote against the government.
Apprehensive about Mr Azad poaching on a section of its MLAs, the PDP leadership has registered a strong protest, cautioning the party high command that any misadventure by the chief minister months ahead of the assembly poll could trigger a crisis in the sensitive border state.
The political tug-of-war in Srinagar comes at a time when the Congress central leadership is working on the number games in the Lok Sabha to shield the Manmohan Singh regime from the Left pull-out threat. The PDP, even after its withdrawal of support to the Azad government, remains an ally of the UPA at the Centre. The Congress central leadership is sensitive to the tactical utility of PDP, which has just one Lok Sabha MP, given the attempts to project the Indo-US civil nuclear deal as ���anti-Muslim���.
The PDP leadership���s warning against Mr Azad���s game-plan is learnt to have come after the seasoned chief minister reached out to Ghulam Hussein Mir, a powerful Mufti-aide-turned-rebel. It is no secret that both Mr Azad and Mr Mir have many friends among the 17 PDP MLAs.
After the PDP withdrawal of support, the Azad government needs a minimum of seven additional votes to survive the trust-vote. Till now, AICC has given Mr Azad a free hand to deal with the situation in Srinagar.
Talking to ET from Srinagar, PCC president Saifuddin Soz said: ���We are confident that the Azad government will demonstrate its majority on the floor of the House on July 7. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are overwhelmingly opposed to the prospects of governor���s rule in the state. They had a very bad experience of governor���s rule in the past���. Mr Soz has also said the state Congress was not in touch with the PDP leadership after the latter pulled out of the ruling coalition.
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As of now, the PDP leadership says it was least bothered about the fate of the Congress-led state government as it has already severed its ties with the Azad regime. But it remains to be seen whether the Muftis will issue a formal whip, asking its 17 MLAs to vote against the state government or abstain from voting.
The PDP decision will indicate the level of party leadership���s confidence in retaining its MLAs at the moment of reckoning. Though the National Conference leadership has already announced that its 24 MLAs will vote against the Azad regime, it remains to be seen whether the chief minister, who is close to the Abdullahas, will secure some ���helpful absentees��� from NC MLAs at the time of voting.
The Congress sources also say they have serious doubts about Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh���s capacity to ensure that his four MLAs will vote against the government.
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