The Congress Party, the coalition partner of the National Conference, while admitting the challenges faced by the Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir due to the dual power structure, maintains that the Chief Minister should not have given a clean chit to the government on the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
“In Jammu and Kashmir people gave a clear mandate, which is a fact. But in certain parts of the country, the poll results seem contrary to the people's sentiment, raising serious questions. Jumping to conclusions over EVMs when the fact-finding commission has not given its report appears premature," says senior Congress leader G A Mir.
Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Kashmir, the J&K Chief Minister had dismissed objections over the use of EVMs saying it was inconsistent to celebrate a victory with over a hundred members of Parliament elected through the same EVMs and then later question their credibility because the election results were unfavourable.
On January 13, the J&K Chief Minister during the inauguration of the Sonamarg tunnel credited the Prime Minister for conducting free and fair polls in J&K. “You (the Prime Minister) kept to your word, and within four months, you held elections in Jammu and Kashmir. You gave the people an opportunity to vote and choose their government. Today, the result of this is that, as Chief Minister, I am participating in this programme and speaking to you,” Abdullah said.
He went on to praise the election process, saying, “You conducted elections in which people participated in large numbers, and the biggest achievement was the victory of the people. There was no complaint of corruption, no misuse of government, and no need for re-polling at any booth. The credit for this goes to you, your colleagues, and the Election Commission of India.”
Mir said the Chief Minister should have used strong "grammar" in his speech to present issues faced by people in J&K. Elaborating, he added that during the Prime Minister’s visit, if the Chief Minister had reiterated the promises he had made during the elections, it would have strengthened his position. "When the Chief Minister spoke about the restoration of statehood, he should have also addressed pressing issues like massive unemployment, inflation and other pressing concerns," Mir said.
However, Mir praised the Chief Minister for stating that the Sonamarg tunnel project was initiated during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure. "Later, in an interview, the Chief Minister rightly pointed out that all major development projects in J&K were initiated under the previous government of Manmohan Singh," Mir said.
Tariq Hamid Karra, Congress President, J&K, said the Congress and National Conference coalition remains intact. "We are supporting the Omar Abdullah government from the outside. We have a principled stand--we will only be part of the government if statehood is restored. We expected statehood to be granted before the elections or during the government formation, but that hasn’t happened. Our stance has been consistent, and that’s why we are not part of the government," he said.
Karra, however, added that there is a need for better coordination within the coalition. "We want a coordination committee to ensure the smooth functioning of the coalition," he said.
The Congress president, while talking about the two-month governance of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said given the current situation in J&K, no one can perform effectively. “First, there’s no clear definition of power-sharing. Second, the absence of statehood remains a major issue. From the beginning, we’ve maintained that as long as statehood isn’t restored, the first casualty will be the people of J&K. They will suffer on account of it."
