5 Congress MLAs stay away; questions NC leadership over coalition dharma
Arvind Sharma
Jammu Tawi, Feb 02: The differences between the coalition partners — the National Conference (NC) and the Congress — have deepened further, with the strain now spilling into the open. In what is being seen as a deliberate political message rather than a scheduling coincidence, the Congress Party deputed only one of its six MLAs to attend the coalition meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at his official residence this evening.
The meeting, convened at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Jammu residence, virtually turned into a show of alliance discomfort, with the Congress making a pointed political statement by deputing only one of its six MLAs — chief whip Nizamuddin Bhat — while five others, including PCC president Tariq Hamid Karra and senior leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir, stayed away.
In what is widely being seen as a calibrated snub rather than coincidence, the near-boycott by the Congress sent strong ripples through political circles and reinforced speculation that the partnership is under serious internal stress despite formal alignment.
Sources said the meeting witnessed tense moments and blunt messaging. Bhat, who represented the Congress, reportedly told NC leaders — in the presence of NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, NC MLAs and other allies — that the party was not comfortable with the current post-poll working arrangement.
He is learnt to have flagged lack of coordination between the allies on key political matters, including the Rajya Sabha polls and strategy relating to the Centre. He also reportedly conveyed that the Congress feels the NC has not been serious enough on the demand for restoration of full statehood.
NC leaders, according to sources, responded firmly. The Chief Minister is learnt to have told Bhat that governance and politics must be balanced separately and that maintaining stable Centre–State relations is essential for running the Union Territory effectively.
“Politics and government are two different. We have to ensure that Centre-State relations are better for running the State (UT),” Omar Abdullah was reportedly quoted as saying during the exchange.
Sources said Omar also reminded the Congress representative that the NC had conceded the lone Rajya Sabha seat to Congress in 2015. NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah reportedly added that the party had offered all Assembly seats in Jammu to Congress in the 2024 elections but the party failed to convert them into wins.
Parallel to the heated discussion inside the meeting, Congress leaders outside made no effort to hide their displeasure. A senior Congress leader said the decision to send only one MLA was intentional.
“All is not well between us — the Congress and the NC — and we wanted to convey a message to our coalition partner by sending only one MLA to the meeting held at the CM’s residence,” the leader said on condition of anonymity.
Reiterating the dissatisfaction, he added, “All our six MLAs were present here, but we decided to send only one MLA for the meeting chaired by the CM to give a strong message that we are not satisfied with the NC’s conduct and approach.”
It may be mentioned that the Congress holds six seats in the J&K Assembly but has so far not joined the NC-led government, maintaining an arm’s-length role in governance despite being a coalition partner — an unusual arrangement that itself reflects underlying friction.
Relations between the two parties reportedly turned bitter after the NC did not concede to the Congress a “safe” Rajya Sabha seat of its choice in the recent elections. The Congress declined to contest the seat offered, and since then, trust and coordination between the partners have appeared increasingly strained.
Political observers say such symbolic under-representation at high-level coalition meetings is rarely accidental and often serves as coded pressure in coalition politics ahead of tougher bargaining phases.
Repeated attempts to seek comments from Nizamuddin Bhat did not elicit a response.
All independent MLAs supporting the government were present at the meeting, which was convened to discuss the smooth functioning of the House. NC president Farooq Abdullah also attended the meeting.
CM Abdullah, who is the Leader of the House, is scheduled to present his government’s second budget in the assembly on February 6.
A CPI(M) leader said Tarigami conveyed his unavailability for the meeting to the chief minister as he was unwell.
With the Budget session underway and opposition attacks expected to intensify, the optics of discord within the ruling bloc have added a new layer of political drama — suggesting the alliance may still stand formally, but the chemistry is visibly under test.
