The National Conference on Thursday ruled out the resignation of beleaguered Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah after receiving backing from AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who said Mr Abdullah was “doing a tough job” and needed “support”.
Government managers, meanwhile, were working on the composition of the all-party delegation that is to visit Srinagar and Jammu on September 20 and 21. The Congress core group met here Thursday evening and reviewed the situation in the Valley in the light of suggestions made at Wednesday’s all-party meeting. Before that, NC chief and Union minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the backdrop of reports that the PDP was trying to revive ties with the Congress, with which it had run a government in the state for five-and-a-half years, till August 2008. “Omar Abdullah has no intention of stepping down nor is there any such move being made,” Dr Farooq Abdullah told reporters. He accused the media of speculation, saying it plays “tricks” so that “one fellow should go down and the second fellow should come up”.
In Kolkata, asked at a press conference whether Mr Omar Abdullah had failed, Mr Rahul Gandhi said, “The government has supported Omar Abdullah. National Conference is the party in power. He is a youngster. Kashmir is a difficult place. Omar is doing a tough job and he should be given time and support.” He added: “I think we have to give him support. Kashmir is a sensitive job. We have to give him time and support.”
An all-party delegation will be visiting Srinagar and Jammu on Monday and Tuesday, well placed sources said here Thursday night. The government has decided to accommodate leaders of about 38 political parties in Parliament, including leaders of 13 one-member parties. “Asaduddin Owaisi of the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Badruddin Ajmal of the Assam United Democratic Front would also be in the delegation,” they said.
But government managers have yet to decide who will lead the delegation. “It will be led either by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee or home minister P. Chidambaram and parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal,” they said.
According to sources Mr Chidambaram favours Mr Bansal but Congress insiders said Mr Mukherjee is likely to lead as he is the Leader of the Lok Sabha and the government’s key trouble-shooter. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to join the delegation, they said. Asked whether a change of guard in J&K was still on the cards, the sources said, “Let the delegation visit the state.” On Mr Rahul Gandhi backing CM Omar Abdullah, they said, “It was an off-the-cuff remark.”
The NC welcomed Mr Rahul Gandhi’s statement, saying the Congress general secretary has “great acumen to comprehend each and every situation. He has very clearly pointed out that the chief minister is handling a difficult situation and that he has the entire support and time to handle” affairs.
In Srinagar, the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference said it would decide whether or not to meet the all-party delegation after a meeting of its advisory council. “A meeting of the Hurriyat majlis-e-shoura (advisory council) will be convened to take a decision on whether to meet the all-party delegation,” hardline Hurriyat faction leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani told reporters.
He, however, did not say when the council would meet. In Jammu, the JK National Panthers Party (JKNPP) said it would boycott the all-party delegation. “Any delegation where the ruling alliance partners in J&K, namely the Congress and National Conference, are included, the Panthers Party shall boycott such a delegation, which is a burden on tax-payers as well as a waste of time,” JKNPP chairman Bhim Singh told reporters.