Albeit it is difficult to say that the statement made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National general secretary and In-Charge Jammu and Kashmir, Tarun Chugh that the alliance between National Conference (NC) and Congress in Jammu and Kashmir is bound to fail as it did in the Parliament elections earlier this year, will pass the test of veracity. This could be his personal opinion. But one thing is sure that the statements given by the NC and Congress leaderships recently tend to indicate that something is wrong in this combo of different political ideologies. As the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President, Tariq Hameed Karra has said that this time the alliance was forged under ‘national compulsion' meaning that there is a bit of ‘guilt' in the step to join hands with National Conference.
In the same tone, a couple of days back, National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah has said the pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls was not an easy decision as the party had to sacrifice many seats it felt it had a chance to win. Both these statements by the Congress and NC leaders can be well gauged as the catharsis by the aforesaid leaders because it seems that deep in the hearts of these alliance helmsmen a feeling of guilt is running questioning strongly about the grouping which the BJP leadership has termed as unholy and short-lived.
All said and done, the recent ‘remorseful' statements by National Conference (NC) and Congress leaders in the UT regarding their alliance reveal an underlying sense of guilt. These statements could also be considered as an attempt to placate party workers who feel betrayed by the surrender of their constituencies to alliance partners.
The aforesaid leaders' attempts to justify their decisions and pacify discontent within their ranks suggest a struggle to reconcile the compromises made for electoral gain with the dissatisfaction brewing among their grassroots supporters. The apparent discomfort highlights the internal conflicts these parties face as they navigate the complexities of coalition politics.
Treading ahead by keeping the alliance intact is not less than walking on fire, that too with bare feet. As there are still some days left for the polls to began, it will be interesting to see how things turn for the parties Congress, NC and of course BJP, which is sure about breaking of this wedlock (Alliance) in days to come.
