It seems the National Conference (NC) and Congress ties are coming considerable strain even before the first vote has been cast in the elections for the legislative assembly in Jammu & Kashmir. On record, the two parties’ leaderships have reached an understanding to fight the elections together. But on the ground, there is no coordination between the workers of two parties, and they remain at daggers drawn as in the past.
A couple of videos of National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah and former Jammu & Kashmir Congress chief Vikar Rasool Wani have gone viral due to the abuses they hurl at one another. In their respective rallies in the Bahihal segment, Vikar and Omar are seen mocking one another and taking jibes. It may be mentioned that the National Conference and Congress are fighting the elections together, with the former contesting 51 seats and the latter 32.
In five assembly segments, the two parties’ candidates are contesting against one another in what was termed as friendly contests, Banihal being one of them from where Vikar is pitted against National Conference candidate Sajjad Shahin. This happened as both parties were keen to fight in these segments and not concede it to the other coalition partner. But by how Vikar went after Omar, who returned the compliments with interest later, these contests can be termed anything but friendly!
In one election rally, Vikar said the red colour in the NC flag was from the blood of countless common people it has exploited. He said three generations of Abdullahs (its founder Sheikh Abdullah, Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah) have done nothing for Banihal. He said Omar should tell the Banihal people what the Abdullahs have ever done for them.
He said his voters supported him wholeheartedly and would not make him beg for votes in this assembly segment. They will not let him take off his cap and beg them. Instead, they will honour him with a dastaar (a pugree or headgear presented to someone as a mark of respect) and send him to the assembly, Vikar said. This was a hit below the belt for National Conference as Omar Abdullah had taken off his cap, held it in his hand, and begged the voters in Ganderbal (where he is contesting) some days ago.
Vikar’s allegations about three generations of Abdullahs and other antics angered Omar to no end, and he hit back at another rally the National Conference had organised. Omar said due to his intemperate utterances and unsound behaviour, the Congress had removed Vikar from the post of being Jammu & Kashmir party chief on the eve of the assembly elections. How can people of Banihal vote for someone (read Vikar) when his party (the Congress) does not find him fit for holding the party post? Omar asked.
It may be mentioned here that Vikar was the Congress working president for some years but was removed from the top post after the recent Lok Sabha elections. Instead, Tariq Hamid Qarra was made the party president in a reshuffle at the top.
Barely two months ago, Vikar went around Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency and begged for votes in different segments for the Congress candidate. I had accompanied Vikar at several of these meetings, on request from the Congress with which the National Conference had an electoral understanding. Omar said I was treated with respect wherever we went and asked for votes for the Congress candidate. The National Conference vice president wondered if Vikar told lies when he praised National Conference and sought votes in its name.
Such unpleasant exchanges between two top leaders of the party who are supposedly coalition partners are likely to have a cascading effect on some other assembly segments. Not only in the five assembly segments where they are witnessing not so friendly contests, but elsewhere too.
