SRINAGAR: For the first time since the formation of the Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir last year, the Congress party has pushed its ally, the National Conference (NC), into an uncomfortable political corner.
By unilaterally stepping up its campaign for the restoration of statehood, Congress has not only bypassed its long-time partner but also taken the battle to the national stage on its own terms.
Congress, which contested the 2024 J&K Assembly elections in alliance with NC and won six seats, has so far refused to join the government, maintaining it would only do so once statehood is restored.
Now, the party has intensified its push by organising protests in Srinagar, Jammu, and at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Top Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that a bill to restore statehood be introduced during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
Congress’s assertive stance appears to have caught the NC off guard. While the NC campaigned on restoring Article 370, the issue was effectively shelved after the party formed the government.
Instead, it pivoted to seeking the restoration of statehood, passing a resolution to that effect in its first cabinet meeting in October 2024 and sharing it with top central leaders. However, there has been no progress on the matter since.
Political analyst Noor Mohammad Baba said Congress’s approach is deliberate. “They’re doing what they should have done earlier. Their aggressive push makes NC’s passivity stand out. Congress has nothing to lose and everything to gain,” he said. “It may even help them regain some ground in Jammu.”
Congress’s call for a three-day special Assembly session on statehood has further increased the pressure. “The government should convene it immediately,” said J&K Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra.
NC’s response has been very measured. Senior party leader and MLA Hasnain Masoodi said: “Congress didn’t take NC into confidence. If informed, even Farooq Abdullah would have joined the Jantar Mantar protest.” He added that Congress’s sudden activism might be more aimed at political gains than anything else, especially ahead of local body polls.
Whether the NC will respond by stepping up its own campaign remains to be seen. But with statehood back at the political forefront, the pressure on the ruling party to act decisively is mounting.