Opposition legislators stage a protest over the Article 370 restoration resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, in Srinagar.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Alliance partners in Jammu and Kashmir - the National Conference (NC) and Congress - find themselves caught between a promise to its voters and an ever-changing national political landscape over a recent resolution on restoration of Article 370.
Earlier this month, the newly elected Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in its first session passed a resolution seeking the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status, sparking a national political debate.
Except, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), legislators from the Congress, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and all Kashmir based MLAs supported the resolution. However, shortly after the session, Congress distanced itself from the resolution.
Congress leaders in New Delhi, including President Mallikarjun Kharge, clarified that the party had not endorsed the restoration of Article 370 and suggested that the resolution was primarily focused on the restoration of statehood.
Kharge’s statements, asserting that no one in his party had called for the restoration of Article 370, placed the NC in a difficult position, particularly in Kashmir, where the issue remains a defining political fault line.
While Congress has publicly supported the protection of land and job rights for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, it has refrained from fully endorsing the NC's position on Article 370.
Opposition PDP, People’s Conference of Sajjad Lone and other local parties have put pressure on the NC to clear its stand on the issue “as the Congress is supporting the NC government and welcoming the resolution but called it as a "resolution for restoration of statehood and not Article 370”.
Despite the mounting pressure, the NC has refrained from taking drastic steps. Party leaders, including NC President Farooq Abdullah, have insisted that the alliance with Congress remains intact for now.
Abdullah accused the BJP of using the issue of Article 370 abrogation to attack Congress politically, particularly in the context of ongoing elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
“The Congress has its own motives in this regard. They are being attacked relentlessly by the BJP, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah leading the charge. This targeting is part of their election strategy,” he said.
However, tensions within the NC are also rising. Senior party members, particularly those aligned with a more hardline stance on the Article 370 issue, have expressed their dissatisfaction with Congress’s mixed signals.
NC Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a vocal advocate for the restoration of Article 370, issued a strong warning to the Congress leadership, accusing them of misinterpreting the intent behind the Assembly’s resolution.
He further said, "Even if anyone from within @JKNC_ tries to misinterpret the resolution otherwise and against the wishes of the people, will be rejected and pushed by the people to a corner of irrelevance as the allies of BJP were in the last election.”
A political observer said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah understood that his party’s alliance with the Congress was one of necessity rather than natural harmony.
“For the NC, the restoration of Article 370 is a defining issue, central to its political identity and the trust it has cultivated with its voter base in Kashmir. Any deviation from this promise could irreparably damage its credibility in the Valley,” they said.
However, he said, for Congress, it (Article 370) remains a delicate balancing act. “While it seeks to maintain support in Jammu and Kashmir, it also faces immense pressure from the BJP, which has accused the Congress of being soft on national unity and security issues, particularly in the context of Article 370,” he added.