Not so friendly contest on ground

The new chief of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Tariq Hamid Karra was quick to condemn  what he described as the “derogatory remarks” of his predecessor and party candidate in Banihal, Vikar Rasool Wani, against the top leadership of the poll alliance partner National Conference (NC). He said that his party disassociates itself from whatever Wani said.

However, several NC leaders demanded that Wani must apologise for what he said and if he does not do so, then Congress party must take strict action against him.

But reacting sharply to Wani’s remarks,  National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said he does not  have control over his tongue.” Talking to media persons, he said, “I do not know why he is so much frustrated. However, it is good that his party (Congress) has taken notice of what he (Wani) had said and issued statement against him. For us the matter ends there.”

On the other side opponents including BJP are also using Congress leader’s criticism to hit the NC and are hailing him for “speaking the truth.”

Wani, while addressing a gathering in his constituency,  had alleged that NC has sucked the blood of people particularly that of those in  Banihal and that is “ why the colour of the party flag is red.” He attacked the NC leadership from Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to Omar Abdullah for lack of development in his constituency.

The Congress leader said that whatever development made in the area  it was during his time as MLA.  Despite Karra condemning  his statement and saying that Congress has great respect for NC leadership, Wani again targeted Omar, who  addressed an election rally in Banihal the same day. “Omar Abdullah is telling people in my constituency to defeat me. How can he defeat me when people are with me? He is himself begging in his constituency to voters with folded hands and by removing his skullcap to vote for himself. How can he defeat me here,” said Wani.

Reports said the Wani is not happy with first being removed from the post of JKPCC President and then NC fielding its candidate against him in the “friendly contest” in Banihal. Wani’s supporters say that Omar Abdullah and his party deviated from their own stand during the seat sharing with Congress. “Omar Abdullah had made his stand very much clear since parliamentary polls that any seat sharing must be based on the basis of the election results of 2014 assembly polls. By that  stance the Banihal seat, which was won by Vikar Rasool Wani, should have been left for him (Congress). But NC did not agree to it and  compelled Congress to  go for a friendly contest in the constituency and also fielded its candidate,” they said.

But on the other side NC says that its candidate and senior leader, Sajjad Shaheen, has more chances of winning the seat this time since he has worked very hard in the constituency and majority of people are with him.

Wani and his supporters were also unhappy over Congress not putting any significant resistance for Banihal seat  but making NC to leave Central Shalteng (earlier known as Batamaloo constituency) in Srinagar for the new JKPCC Chief Tariq Hamid Karra. In 2014 the Batamaloo seat was won by NC leader, Irfan Shah. After the  Central Shalteng seat was left for  Karra, Shah announced to contest from there as an independent candidate.

Realising that Wani was unhappy, senior party leader, Rahul Gandhi, recently visited to Sangaldan in Banihal constituency and addressed an election rally with him there. This raised the moral of the Congress candidate. During the rally, Rahul appealed the people to vote for Wani. Earlier, during that day Rahul Gandhi  had addressed a rally along with NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah in Dooru constituency in Anantnag district. Congress leader G A Mir is contesting from Dooru as a candidate of NC- Congress alliance.

Mir was keen that Rahul Gandhi must make an appeal to both NC and Congress supporters to vote for him. May be because of the apprehensions that suppoters of alliance partners would not vote for each other’s candidates and give preference to opponents. And then  such a situation proves damaging  for an alliance candidate.

Subsequently, Rahul made the plea to the supporters of NC and Congress. “There should be no confusion. You will have to vote only for alliance candidates and not for others, outside the alliance, who are trying to create confusion,” he said.

Some observers say it was also an indirect hint  towards PDP, whose President Mehbooba Mufti, has been telling the Congress cadres that how her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed introduced and strengthened their party in Jammu and Kashmir during his time. Despite being part of opposition’s INDIA bloc at centre, PDP was left out by NC and Congress, who formed a pre- poll alliance in both parliamentary and assembly elections.

However, despite out of alliance, PDP President recently claimed in south Kashmir that only PDP, NC and Congress are fighting for the cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, while rest parties including the jailed Er Rashid’s Awami Ittihad Party (AIP) and independent candidates are being backed by the BJP. She made the statement after the clash of her party workers and that of AIP in Shopian.

Mehbooba had initially welcomed the arrival of other parties and independents in the electoral fray and targeted NC and Congress only. But now besides hitting out at NC and Congress she is also criticising others in the fray. It is not about her only even the NC leaders are criticising the other parties outside their alliance and the  independent candidates joining the fray one after the other.

The political opponents are targeting the NC and Congress claiming that their alliance is only on papers, while on ground the two parties have fielded independents against each other’s candidates in  several constituencies. Mehbooba Mufti recently said that NC has fielded candidates against Congress candidates in a number of constituencies. However, National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah have been saying that the alliance is very much intact and that NC and Congress will form the government after the assembly polls. 

Author is senior editor, Greater Kashmir