Sunil Sharma accuses Congress of being NC’s ‘puppet’

Srinagar, Oct 13: In a sharp political attack ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Kumar Sharma, accused the Congress party of acting as a mere “puppet” of the National Conference (NC), citing both historical and contemporary examples to highlight what he called a longstanding subservient relationship between the two parties.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar after BJP’s three candidates filed their nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, Sharma criticised Congress over its decision to abstain from the elections, reportedly after being offered a difficult seat by its ally, NC.

“Congress doesn’t have its own existence in Jammu and Kashmir,” Sharma said. “It functions entirely as a puppet of the National Conference, blindly following the decisions made by NC leadership. It is not an independent political party — it has been reduced to a rubber stamp.”

Sharma’s remarks come at a time when political alliances in J&K are under scrutiny, with the Rajya Sabha elections seen as a test of strength and cohesion among opposition parties. Congress, which was expected to contest one of the four seats, reportedly withdrew after being offered a seat considered unwinnable.

Invoking a historical flashpoint, Sharma referred to the Indira-Sheikh Accord of 1975, when Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, founder of NC, was released from jail and appointed Chief Minister after two decades of political estrangement.

“If you turn the pages of history, you will see that Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah was released from jail in 1975 and then imposed on Congress MLAs as Chief Minister,” Sharma said. “That incident exposed Congress’s willingness to surrender its mandate and self-respect for short-term political gains. The same pattern continues even today.”

He further accused Congress of tolerating repeated “humiliation” at the hands of NC, saying, “Despite being pushed aside and used opportunistically, Congress continues to cling to the NC. It has no shame in doing so.”