Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 31: After National Conference debacle in Parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah today admitted that he himself and some other senior party leaders had lost touch with party cadre but declared that he has brought 180 degrees change in himself and would like other party leaders to change themselves for favourable results in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Omar called upon the party cadre to start preparations for the Assembly elections immediately as the Election Commission could go for joint elections in five States in October-November instead of three elections in the time span of about six months. The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were due in November-December as next Assembly had to be constituted before January 19, 2015.
Omar also held Congress equally responsible for debacle of the Alliance in Lok Sabha elections.
“It’s 50:50. If 50 per cent responsibility of the defeat lies with us, 50 per cent also lies with the Congress,’’ he said and noted that various public welfare portfolios like Health and Medical Education, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Urban Development, Works, Revenue etc had been given to the Congress through which they would have served the people a lot.
In his address to day long introspection meeting of the National Conference at Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan, which was attended by all senior provincial leaders of the party including Ministers, legislators and office bearers of province, districts and blocks, Omar admitted lack of touch with party cadre by senior party leaders and himself but assured them that he has brought 180 degrees change in himself and called upon the party leaders and office bearers to change them accordingly to regain the lost ground.
Omar on his first visit here after NC-Congress debacle in Parliamentary elections in which the Alliance lost all six Lok Sabha seats to BJP and PDP hosted a dinner for party leaders and office bearers tonight.
In his first inter-action with party leaders for loss of both Jammu province seats by the Congress, which was supported by the NC, Omar called upon the party cadre not to get demoralized by the defeat and instead get themselves ready for Assembly elections to reverse the negative results.
Insiders in the meeting told the Excelsior that Omar responded to the demand of no alliance with Congress by some party leaders and office bearers by saying that the National Conference had no mandate to form the Government on its own after 2008 Assembly elections and that forming coalition Government with the Congress was the only option.
On alliance with Congress in just concluded Lok Sabha elections, Omar reportedly said that it too had become necessity or, otherwise, the National Conference would have to sacrifice the coalition Government at least 10 months ahead of the completion of its term.
“Contesting elections separately and sticking to the coalition wouldn’t have gone together. Either, we had to go for alliance with the Congress (in the Parliament elections) or sacrifice the Government. We preferred the alliance as it was in the interest of the two parties and the State,’’ he told the party leaders. However, regarding alliance with Congress in the Assembly elections, Omar said any decision in this regard would be taken purely on the basis of inputs of the party leaders and workers at grass root level. “The decision will be taken by the workers,” he added.
The Chief Minister called upon the party cadre to start preparations for the Assembly elections immediately as the Election Commission could club Assembly elections of five States and hold them in October-November before the onset of winter.
It may be mentioned here that Delhi and Haryana are scheduled to go to elections in October while Jammu and Kashmir is slated for elections in November-December followed by Maharashtra and Jharkhand in February-March. “Instead of holding three elections in a gap of just six months, the Election Commission could opt for one election in October-November,’’ Omar told the party leaders and said they should be ready for the elections. However, insiders said, Omar didn’t drop any hints of an alliance with Congress or whether the party would go it alone in the Assembly elections.
Omar reportedly admitted that not highlighting achievements of the Government in Assembly elections and going for national issues might have caused the party damage in Parliamentary polls.
“We thought we would present our six years report card in the Assembly elections, which is contested on local issues. We preferred national issues in the Lok Sabha polls. Now, I think, we should have highlighted our achievements in Parliamentary polls also to get votes. Nevertheless, we would go to the people with our achievements of six years,’’ he said.
In his address, NC president and former Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, who himself lost Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, said the warning by the voters has come timely and “we should accept it and prepare accordingly for Assembly elections’’.
“Whatever happens, it happens for good. We should learn lessons from our defeat and prepared ourselves accordingly for Assembly polls. Though time is very less but I’m confident my cadre will come up to the expectations of the people in short time, revive the party and bring it back to power in the Assembly,’’ Farooq said.
Sources said Dr Abdullah left the introspection meeting in the midway and returned to Srinagar in the afternoon flight. However, Omar and former Minister Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana, Planning and Development Minister Ajay Sadhotra and Minister of State for Home Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo attended the meeting till it ended at 5.30 pm and listened to the party cadre very patiently.
Calling upon the party cadre not to get disheartened by the defeat in Lok Sabha elections, Farooq said the NC was witnessed to both good and bad days and assured the party cadre that it would bounce back in the Assembly polls.
“I am witness to the killing of my Minister… legislators… workers and what not. We have enjoyed victory. We have accepted defeat. It’s time to gear up, don’t indulge in blame game and prepare ourselves jointly for the Lok Sabha polls, ‘’ he told the party cadre.
He called upon the party leaders to directly establish contact with the party cadre and voters at grass root level and revive the party. He called upon the party leaders to connect with more and more people in whatever time was available for the Assembly elections.
Sources said a number of party office bearers of block and district levels launched a strong tirade against the Ministers for paying no heed to them during last five and a half years due to which they couldn’t come up to expectations of the people.
They said some of the Ministers gave no time to the party leaders while being in the Government, a result of which the common man’s common problems like ‘bijli, sadak, paani’ couldn’t be fulfilled in some of the areas.
Sources said the Chief Minister and other senior party leaders assured the office bearers that they would have no grievances in future.
An official handout issued by the National Conference said Dr Farooq Abdullah termed recent poll outcome as a wake-up call and declared that the party will convert its loss into strength and bounce back with renewed confidence.
“History stands testimony to the fact that National Conference has resurrected as a vibrant force only after challenges”, he said exuding confidence that the party will re-emerge as a force to reckon with at the strength of mass support.
Farooq urged the party cadre to close their rank and take the verdict in recently held Parliamentary elections to their stride and prepare for the ensuing big battle with vigour and sense of commitment. “Ups and downs are part of the game and there is no reason for workers to feel dejected”, he said and urged the leadership to introspect as to where the party has erred and learn from shortcomings.
He referred to the obstacles coming in the way of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah during his chequered career and said ultimately he overcame all his difficulties with unflinching support of the people.
Dr Abdullah gave an account of difficult times his party encountered especially after mid nineties and said it plunged into the field when guns were roaring and the party workers were being targeted for their sin of standing by the side of people at difficult times.
He questioned those undermining the role of National Conference and said the party has never looked back in pursuit of its chartered mission. He referred to the 2002 elections and said National Conference refused to indulge in horse trading despite being the single largest party in the hung Assembly and preferred to remain in the opposition. However, the Peoples Democratic Party, third in the ladder, jumped to forge alliance not for serving the people or undertaking development but to weaken the National Conference, he said.
Farooq added that Mufti Mohammed Sayeed again tried to negate the mandate of people by travelling to Delhi and offering unconditional support to Congress, just for keeping National Conference out of power in 2008.
Dr Abdullah complimented Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for taking the reins of administration and working tirelessly to steer the state to peace, development and progress against all odds.
“He has succeeded in his endeavours, which is reflected in enviable report card of his Government. He lauded the role of workers and functionaries of National Conference of the entire Jammu region for their role during recently held Parliamentary elections and said they worked with sincerity of purpose.
Dr Abdullah also made a mention of machinations being worked out in New Delhi with respect to Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code and urged the people to remain cautious and not allow the unity and peace to get vitiated.
Speaking on the occasion, Additional General Secretary of the party Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal said that National Conference led Government has enormously performed during the past five and half years and a massive socio economic transform has taken place under the regime of Omar Abdullah.
Earlier, the provincial president of the party, Devender Singh Rana welcomed the delegates. Nearly 103 delegates spoke during the day-long convention, which was attended by about 600 party functionaries including Ministers, legislators, former legislators, block, district and provincial level functionaries of the party.
In his address, Chief Minister and working president of National Conference, Omar Abdullah while recognizing the hard work of National Conference workers in helping coalition candidates to win the Parliament elections in Jammu division said that the voting pattern of all the Assembly segments in Jammu amply depict that National Conference workers have fully rallied behind the NC-Congress coalition candidates.
“Your hard work is fully reflected in the polling percentage registered by the coalition candidates”, he maintained.
Addressing party workers, Omar said that National Conference has witnessed many vicissitudes in its long political life and has faced more severe and troublesome situations but emerged victorious surpassing all challenges and difficulties.
“The party workers have depicted their courage and determination to overcome the difficulties and face challenges bravely and I am sure they will do it this time again by learning the necessary lesson by the outcome of the recently concluded Parliament elections”, he said and added that the defeat in just concluded polls will further strengthen the party rank and file and infuse new energy in it to prove its mettle and popularity in the ensuing Assembly polls.
Omar Abdullah said that National Conference has remained the voice of the people of all regions of the State and has represented all sections of the society equally. “This voice cannot be allowed to diminish”, he maintained and said that it is immaterial who heads the party at the top level but the necessity is to galvanize National Conference once again and make it a force of public support and faith which it has remained for last over 60 years.
Omar Abdullah said that National Conference has been transferred by Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to the people of Jammu and Kashmir as his legacy and it is not always necessary that the blood relation of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah leads the party always. He said the doors of National Conference are open to all the people of Jammu and Kashmir and they are the custodian of this only regional party whose motive has been unity, solidarity, communal harmony, equitable development and upliftment of poor particularly weaker sections of the society.
Omar said that while introspecting the causes of defeat in the Parliament elections many workers and party leaders have pointed towards the alliance with Congress. He said that National Conference truly upheld the coalition trait and never took any step unilaterally in the process of development and giving governance to the people.
“Since the day of entering into the coalition with Congress, the Government led by him took decisions jointly in every sphere of administration and development”, he said, adding that most of the departments particularly R&B, PHE, Health, School Education, Housing, Irrigation, Agriculture, Urban Development, Medical Education were entrusted to the members of coalition partners. He said he didn’t believe in blame game but the fact of the matter is that both NC and Congress are equally responsible for all the good or bad work done.
Omar said that the service to people and strengthening the National Conference is his first concern and the goal. “Chair has never been his desire nor will it be in future. Our aim to be in power is to serve the people of the State to our best capacity”, he said and told the party workers that he will abide by the decision of the party rank and file regarding any future alliance with the Congress. “If you would like to be in alliance with Congress we will respect your views and if you decide against this there will be no forcing by anyone of us working at the top level”, he told the party workers.
“We have fought the Parliamentary elections on national issues and did not touch the historic and unprecedented work done by the coalition Government in the State because State was not going in the Assembly polls. Now we have provided you a book of our performance in five years so that you not only go through this and see yourself how much huge works in all the sectors of development have been registered in the State during the last over five and the half years all across the State. It is your duty to disseminate this information at all levels particularly at the grass roots so that people are aware that the work done of coalition government has been unprecedented and all-time best”, he said and added that the development scenario will be given further push till the notification of Assembly Election is issued.
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