Congress hints at putting off J&K polls
The Congress on Wednesday said the priority at the moment was bringing back normalcy in the state and not election.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: There is fresh confirmation that Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls may not be held in October. The Congress on Wednesday said the priority at the moment was bringing back normalcy in the state and not election.
This statement was not unexpected as the government had on Tuesday indicated that polls will be put off for a while in the border state. The continuing troubles in the state was cited by the government leadership to claim that the situation was just not conducive for holding election. It is another matter that the Centre intervened 38 days after trouble erupted in the state over the Amarnath land.
The Congress it seems is just not prepared to face polls in the state. With its leaders actively backing the agitation spearheaded by the SASS in Jammu, there is realisation that the movement cannot any longer be termed as saffron forces-sponsored protests. As a matter of fact, there have been over 10,513 demonstrations in the Jammu region in the past 40 days. This clearly demonstrates the bipartisan support for the issues raised by the SASS.
At the moment what worries the Congress is the immediate fallout of a defeat on its image. The Congress has so far been claiming success in bringing back normalcy in the state. But in the long run, the Congress may have to pay a heavy price as Valley considers extended Centre rule as a ���hostile act���. The past experiences show that such rule would go against the interests of the political party that sponsors such a move. The other political players in the Valley, the PDP and the NC, may not mind a spell of Central rule.
This statement was not unexpected as the government had on Tuesday indicated that polls will be put off for a while in the border state. The continuing troubles in the state was cited by the government leadership to claim that the situation was just not conducive for holding election. It is another matter that the Centre intervened 38 days after trouble erupted in the state over the Amarnath land.
The Congress it seems is just not prepared to face polls in the state. With its leaders actively backing the agitation spearheaded by the SASS in Jammu, there is realisation that the movement cannot any longer be termed as saffron forces-sponsored protests. As a matter of fact, there have been over 10,513 demonstrations in the Jammu region in the past 40 days. This clearly demonstrates the bipartisan support for the issues raised by the SASS.
At the moment what worries the Congress is the immediate fallout of a defeat on its image. The Congress has so far been claiming success in bringing back normalcy in the state. But in the long run, the Congress may have to pay a heavy price as Valley considers extended Centre rule as a ���hostile act���. The past experiences show that such rule would go against the interests of the political party that sponsors such a move. The other political players in the Valley, the PDP and the NC, may not mind a spell of Central rule.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
