SRINAGAR: The internal crisis in the ruling National Conference (NC) appears to be moving towards a possible negotiated settlement, with a group of disgruntled legislators likely to meet party president Farooq Abdullah on Friday to formally present their grievances and demands.
The legislators continued their consultations on Wednesday, with around a dozen assembling at the residence of senior party leader and Gurez MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan alias Gurezi. The group is scheduled to meet again on Thursday to finalise its strategy ahead of the proposed meeting with the party leadership. The timing of Friday’s meeting has yet to be communicated.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is also expected to attend the meeting, which could provide an opportunity to address the growing discontent within the party following the recent Cabinet expansion.
The consultations have gathered momentum since a group of NC legislators first assembled at the residence of Qaisar Jamsheed Lone last week. Seventeen legislators reportedly took an oath of collective solidarity at the meeting, pledging to pursue their concerns jointly rather than take individual positions.
The group includes Hasnain Masoodi (Pampore), Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir (Rajpora), Javid Ahmad (Karnah), Saif-ud-Din Bhat (Khansahib), Farooq Ahmad Shah (Tangmarg), Mubarak Gul (Eidgah), Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurez), Hilal Akbar Lone (Sonawari), Bashir Ahmad Veeri (Bijbehara), Abdul Majid Bhat alias Larmi (Anantnag West), Aijaz Ahmad Jan (Poonch Haveli), Javid Iqbal Choudhary (Budhal), Arjun Singh Raju (Ramban), Khursheed Ahmad (Gulabgarh), Sajad Shafi (Uri) and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Thanamandi).
Party sources estimate that around two dozen legislators are dissatisfied, although the number of those who have formally joined the collective initiative is smaller.
The legislators are understood to be preparing a charter of demands covering governance and organisational matters. These include stepping up efforts for the restoration of statehood and special status for Jammu and Kashmir, implementing the Dachigam resolution on Cabinet restructuring and ministerial accountability, and replacing Chief Minister’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani.
They have also sought the formation of a consultative advisory group comprising two to three legislators to regularly brief the Chief Minister on governance issues and the implementation of developmental works.
On the organisational front, their demands include setting up a high-powered disciplinary committee and an inquiry panel to address grievances, strengthening the party’s media and communication cell, holding regular meetings of the NC Working Committee, establishing an election cell and undertaking comprehensive organisational restructuring.
Meanwhile, efforts appear to have been made to prevent the differences from escalating into an open confrontation, particularly over the position of senior leader Mubarak Gul.
Two NC legislators visited Gul at his residence on Wednesday and reportedly persuaded him not to take any unilateral decision ahead of the proposed meeting with the party leadership. Gul had planned to address a press conference to explain his grievances over his exclusion from the recent Cabinet expansion but subsequently deferred it following the death of senior party leader Sheikh Ghulam Qadir Pardesi.
A few days earlier, several disgruntled legislators had attended Pardesi’s funeral. His son, Ahsan Pardesi, represents a Srinagar constituency in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, Gul’s son, Younus Gul, defended his father’s position, saying that seeking legitimate rights after decades of service to the party could not be construed as rebellion.
Speaking to reporters, Younus said his father had been associated with the National Conference for 40 to 50 years and had won several elections while remaining loyal to the party.
“Asking for your right is not rebellion. If someone comes from outside and demands something, that may be different. But a person who has served the party for 40-50 years and won seven elections cannot be treated this way,” he said.
He also urged the party leadership to identify those working against the organisation’s interests rather than treating the assertion of legitimate demands by senior leaders as an act of indiscipline.
The discontent has been particularly pronounced since the October 27 Cabinet expansion, during which four new ministers were inducted, taking the Council of Ministers to its maximum permissible strength of nine. Gul, a six-time MLA and former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, was among the prominent leaders left out.
Uncertainty over his organisational position has further complicated the situation. Although NC president Farooq Abdullah appointed Gul as General Secretary on October 27, a subsequent order issued on October 30 directed Ali Mohammad Sagar, who had joined the Cabinet, to continue holding the post until further orders.
Earlier, senior NC legislator Majid Larmi had disclosed that Gul’s elevation as General Secretary was proposed during the meeting of legislators at Jamsheed Lone’s residence. Gul had reportedly indicated that he would take up the responsibility after first pacifying his supporters.
The latest consultations suggest that the dissident legislators are seeking a collective accommodation within the party rather than an immediate confrontation with its leadership.
Meanwhile, former legislator Choudhary Akram has denied reports that he was planning to resign from the party, asserting that he remained with the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and continued to support Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The NC leadership has officially played down reports of internal rebellion, describing the legislators’ earlier gathering as a routine social interaction ahead of the Darbar Move. However, the continued consultations, the proposed charter of demands and Friday’s expected meeting indicate that the party leadership faces a substantive set of organisational and governance concerns that will need to be addressed.
