Farooq Abdullah says NC united, but why dissenting MLAs are in wait-and-watch mode

The marathon meeting is being described as the first time in National Conference history that the leadership formally heard out legislators in a concerted mannerEmerging from a three-hour-long meeting with a group of 16 dissenting MLAs, National Conference (NC) president and patron Farooq Abdullah recently sought to dismiss rumours of factionalism within the party. Declaring the NC remains united, Abdullah nevertheless acknowledged that the concerns raised by the legislators were genuine.“The baseless news spreading that the National Conference is fragmented is completely incorrect,” Abdullah said on November 6 after the marathon meeting. He was flanked by the dissenting lawmakers.“Ye jamaat munazzam hai (The party is fully organised). Those who think they can break this party should know this party has never been broken, and will never be, Insha’Allah,” he declared.“We have spoken to them. Their issues were genuine, and these were deliberated upon very carefully,” Abdullah said, referring to the meeting with MLAs who had submitted a memorandum to the party leadership, including chief minister Omar Abdullah. It details demands and concerns about the recent cabinet reshuffle and the functioning of both the Omar-led government and the party. During Abdullah’s media interaction, Omar, who was part of the meeting, stood in the background. He made no comments.“Everyone was heard, and Insha’Allah, as he (MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi) said, some steps will be taken quickly and some will be taken gradually,” Abdullah said about the points of agreement, without sharing specific details.“We will strengthen the party and the government so that the problems of the people are resolved. Along with this, our struggle to restore statehood and the struggles on Article 370 and 35A [of the Constitution] will continue, and Insha’Allah, it will be taken to its logical conclusion,” Abdullah said.On the face of it, the meeting appeared to have ended on a conciliatory note. However, what happens to the lawmakers’ demands remains to be seen.A senior NC MLA who attended the meeting told INDIA TODAY this was the first time in the party’s history that the leadership had formally heard the concerns of legislators in this manner. According to him, it was agreed upon that a ‘manifesto committee’ would be formed immediately to oversee the implementation of the party’s 2024 election manifesto. It was also decided that MLAs would be attached to each cabinet minister to assess their work, effectively acting as shadow ministers.The cabinet reshuffle was one of the major demands of the group. The party leadership indicated it would be considered after one year, but the MLAs insisted on that within the next six months, disclosed the MLA, who did not wish to be named.Asked about reports of heated exchanges between the chief minister and the dissenting MLAs, the senior legislator sought to downplay them, saying such exchanges are natural in meetings of this nature. “At one point, the chief minister even offered to step down, saying he may prefer to look after party affairs. But the legislators, in one voice, said that he is our leader and that our concerns are genuine and aimed at the betterment of the party,” the NC MLA claimed.On whether the legislators continue to stick to their earlier 14-day deadline for action, he said: “The party leadership has assured us of action on the concerns raised. It is a wait-and-watch situation. We hope some steps will be taken in the immediate time-frame and some, as agreed, in the longer run.”The NC leader emphasised that all MLAs present in the meeting very much remained a part of the NC, and that their only aim was to strengthen the party at a time its image had been “dented by the functioning” of the government. The legislator claimed the group had sought the removal or change in portfolio of deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary and removal of the chief minister’s advisor Nasir Aslam Wani.Another senior NC legislator from south Kashmir told INDIA TODAY: “It is a wait-and-watch situation. We expect the first steps to be taken in a couple of days. The legislators pointed to the deficit in governance and the need for course correction.”Earlier, speaking to the media in Srinagar, NC legislator Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri, who was part of the group that submitted the memorandum, had said that some confidence-building measures would be visible soon. “There was a threadbare discussion. In the coming time, you will see how things emerge,” Shah Veeri said, downplaying suggestions of factionalism and reiterating the party’s commitment to the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status as well as statehood.NC MLA Abdul Majeed Larmi, who had been vocal in his opposition to the recent cabinet reshuffle, said everything had been sorted out with the party leadership. He confirmed that Omar had at one point during the meeting suggested stepping down, which the legislators did not accept.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends