If the National Conference had any intentions to bring change in its party leadership, they have been dumped for now, as president Dr Farooq Abdullah declined to step down. A Kashmir Life report.
Given the rumours that ruled Lal Chowk between 1000 hours and 1630 hours on July 22, Thursday when the National Conference (NC) Working Committee was sitting in Dr Farooq Abdullah’s outhouse-cum-office, the party seemed finally heading towards democracy. Far away from all-powerful Gupkar Road, it was even looking like a revolution.
The first ‘report’ was about senior leader Ali Mohammad Sagar “leaving in anger” and returning “after being pleaded and requested”! Second ‘report’ was about Abdul Rahim Rather staying away and coming at around noon after being “requested”! Third ‘report’ was Nasir Sogami putting in his papers for taking the responsibility of the series of Batamaloo murders! Almost in panic a middle rung officer rang up a newspaper office enquiring the veracity of the report that two ministers have refused to put in their papers! There were many other anecdotes roaming around in Partap Park, city’s own Fleet Street.
Thanks to Dr Farooq Abdullah who finally at around 1720 hours read out the eight resolutions that party’s WC had passed. All rumours were dumped. The party refused to change and lived up to the expectations. “It can not afford a change,” quipped a reporter after the crowded news conference was over.
Apart from thanking Prime Minister and Congress President for supporting the Omar government, WC resolutions termed Kashmir a political problem and described autonomy a way out. It even said it was willing to accept any other solution acceptable to people. The party asked the government to “deal with the forces of destabilization firmly” while making efforts to “build the confidence of the majority of the law abiding citizens who do not want their day to day lives to be disrupted” by these forces. It also urged the government to consider releasing all political detainees for developing an atmosphere of peace and reconciliation. NC condoled the recent deaths and recorded its dismay over the losses that the people are suffering (because of strike). Party discussed unemployment and resolved it would correct Sher-e-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Policy (SKEWPY).
Kashmir’s grand old party has blocked the change even though the supposed game-changers had chosen the best time for it. Kashmir being in much bigger crisis, a smaller change in a party would not make the news beyond a day!
“Come what may,” Dr Abdullah told the WC at the outset. “I am not going to step down till I am alive.” WC with 22 members and a number of special invitees is party’s highest decision making body.
Dr Abdullah was very clear in telling the party that Sheikh Nazir was not keeping well for some time. “But tell me who amongst all of you can replace him?” Dr Abdullah asked. There were no answers. Eventually a number of members of the WC committee said the party leadership has to remain in the family. There is no second option, they said as the entire house nodded in affirmation. “These are the rumours that you people have been spreading,” retorted an angry Abdullah when asked about the change in party leadership.
His assertion was response to a debate that has been going on after he paved way for his son Omar Abdullah’s takeover as state’s chief executive in January 2009. The debate had taken a much serious turn after Abdullah Junior in a series of TV interviews suggested that since Dr Abdullah lacked enough time the party’s leadership will go to some other leader. By hinting that the new president could be from outside the family was aimed at creating history.
Party presidency is more of a decorative position if it is in power because the power lies with the chief minister. But having a non-Abdullah as NC head first time since 1975 would create news. Party leadership was retained by the family after Sheikh Abdullah returned to power in 1975.
Omar was appointed NC president on June 23, 2002 and he retained the position till 2009 when he was sworn as state’s eleventh chief minister. Senior Abdullah took over the leadership after he missed the chief ministerial slot in wake of Congress not ready to lend support to him. After he was adjusted in the central cabinet, his preoccupations would genuinely keep him busy. Same is the case with Sheikh Nazir, NC’s secretary general for last 35 years who has been single-handedly managing the party. In March he survived a mild heart attack and was flown to Delhi for a cardiac operation. He still needs medical consultancy at least once a day.
At one point of time, party insiders say Dr Abdullah was willing to get somebody replace him so that party gets some attention. It was in this backdrop that Omar had made it a priority. His ambition was to get his “talkative” uncle Dr Mustafa Kamal fill one party position as he would send either Abdul Rahim Rather or Ali Mohammad Sagar from the government to take another party post. But the plot went off the script at the last moment.
“Time will come when I have to leave the post of party president, but as of now I am not going to leave the post come what may,” Dr Abdullah told Radio Kashmir Srinagar on the eve of the WC meeting. He also had a close door meeting with some of NC ‘veterans’ who are more comfortable with him than his son. “All this is being done by the media. Perhaps newspapers are fed by some persons,” he said.
Barring this, there was nothing much that happened in the WC meeting at the level of its president. Dr Abdullah has told the meeting that the minister– whose name was linked to the alleged Rs 120 crore real estate deal in Dubai by some newspapers in Jammu – should have exercised the option of going to the court,instead of accepting the apology that the newspaper carried in a small column. People in Delhi, he has said, ask me about this. “The minister has accepted the apology of the newspaper and not exercised the option of going to the court. It (going to court) would have fetched us larger headline which we would show to the people,” insiders quoted him saying in the meeting. Interestingly, the minister joined the meeting a bit late because he had to fly from Delhi.
WC had a serious start. But it became a boring affair after the lunch. Dr Abdullah, insiders said, did not permit anybody to complete his speech. “Whoever spoke was interrupted by him and in a few cases he asked many speakers to sit down saying ‘I know what you want to say’,” a participant said.
Contrary to the hype that media generated about the meeting, it was primarily aimed at reiterating the support to Omar’s beleaguered government. It was also tasked to bring on record thanks to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi for supporting the NC led government at its most critical juncture.
Though the house was not closed for making suggestions to help situation change, no specific suggestion came from anybody. Only Shareef-ud-Din Shariq indirectly suggested that “we should not have a problem with anybody (politically)” and “Dr Sahib can have a breakfast meeting with Geelani or a luncheon meet with Mirwaiz”. The rest of the half-permitted speeches were broad generalization linking unemployment with the present unrest, suggesting changes in police at different levels, making party stronger and seeking autonomy from the centre. In fact a Jammu member observed that how can patience be expected from cops with youth snatching their guns and he found a supporter to his argument in Ali Mohammad Sagar. Nobody made a forceful statement about the systemic rollout of state’s autonomy by the Home Minister.
If anybody did plain talking in the WC it was Omer Abdullah himself. On prevailing situation, he said what he believes and he briefed the meeting about the efforts his government is making. He talked about the importance of an internal dialogue and chasing New Delhi for starting it at the earliest. Taking note of some participants talking about home ministry’s pro-active stand at the cost of state government, Umar said he has already taken it up with PM.
Omar faced Abdullah Senior and told him categorically that the party is suffering because of the absence of a president at home. He was clear in saying that on issues he is not getting the party line. “On issues, the party has to take a position so that the government makes efforts to follow it,” he said asserting that NC is running a government in coalition and the party and government are two different entities. It was perhaps on this intervention that Dr Abdullah announced that he will have a five-member core group that will take care of the policy matters.
His major intervention was in defence of his political adviser Devinder Singh Rana. Omar told party leaders that he is unnecessarily being talked about though he has not done anything wrong. “What he does is strictly what I tell him to do,” Omar told the WC. “He gives me a list of 50 people whom he wants me to talk to, if I throw it (list) away and you blame him.” Omar categorically told the WC: “If he has committed something wrong please catch hold of him and ask but do not run the campaign because he is always following my orders.” The statement, insiders said, was suo moto and not in response to any complaint or a hint.
