Srinagar, Sep 9: A day after Union Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah accepted defeat in Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council (KAHDC) elections, the controversy over the four nominations to the semi-autonomous body turned ugly when Kargil unit of NC on Monday claimed to have 16 candidates. NC in a virtual snub to its alliance partner Congress, Monday dashed a communiqué to the deputy commissioner Kargil, seeking formal permission to lead KAHDC. The move, however, has left the Congress camp fuming with party leaders demanding immediate revocation of four NC nominations in KAHDC made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently—a main reason of rift between the two coalition partners. A senior NC leader from Kargil said they have managed the support of 16 candidates while another independent candidate would be joining them soon. NC bagged eight seats and got the support of three independents from Islamia School Kargil. “One of the independents also extended support to us taking the party’s total strength to 12. With the support of four nominated candidates, we have reached 16,” the NC leader said wishing not to be named. NC’s vice-president from Kargil, Ghulam Rasool Naqvi said the party has written a letter to deputy commissioner Kargil Fida Hussain seeking permission for leading the council. “We have 16 candidates and we may get the support of another independent candidate,” he said. On why did the NC patron Dr Farooq Abdullah announce party’s defeat in public, Naqvi said Farooq’s statement was clear—“if Congress has the majority, let them lead the Council.” On September 8, Farooq had admitted defeat in Kargil Council polls stating that it was because of the NC’s own people, party lost the elections. With NC staking claim on lead the council, the Congress has termed the fresh move by its ally as “betrayal.” In a joint statement issued by three vice-presidents of the Congress—Muhammad Muzaffar Parray, Gulam Nabi Monga and Bashir Ahmad Magrey, the party has said that NC has played a foul, which is regrettable. “NC chose to make nominations to KAHDC surreptitiously even before the oath of elected members. Most unfortunate aspect of the game is that NC did everything in the name of JK government where Congress is an equal partner,” they said. The trio said Farooq’s confession regarding NC’s defeat in Kargil Council polls is a deliberate attempt to “camouflage the real designs of the NC.” “The only viable solution available to the coalition is that the NC-Congress Coordination Committee should meet to work-out an amicable settlement, provided that NC agrees to withdraw its four nominations. The nominations made by the Chief Minister are in utter violation of the Ladakh Hill Development Council Act-1995 and other rules,” the statement said. Pertinently, Congress had won 10 seats and claimed the support of five of the eight independents. The party’s Kargil unity led by Ashgar Karbalai had sent a request to deputy commissioner Kargil for staking claim to the formation of the Council. “This is unfortunate that NC is playing politics of deceit and mischief with its coalition partner. They have crossed all limits. There is no truth in the NC’s claim that two of the five independents have merged with them. We have 15 candidates, which is the majority,” said Monga. State Congress chief Prof Saifuddin Soz said whatever the party’s three vice-presidents have said in the statement is right. “They have said something which they should have said given the present situation,” Soz told Greater Kashmir. The tug-of-war between NC-Congress has cast shadow on the oath ceremony of the councilors, who were supposed to elect the Chief Executive Councilor of KAHDC. The ceremony was scheduled on September 7, but was delayed after tension within the Coalition. “Unless the issue of nominations is sorted out, there would be no oath ceremony,” a Congress leader said. The relations between NC and Congress seem to be souring at a time when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is claiming that the coalition would complete its full term of six years.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 07:34:55 +0000
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