Ruling National Conference Monday said that by blaming the fact that Congress surrendered the CM seat for six years to NC as a reason for Congress party’s weakness in the State today, Ghulam Nabi Azad is in fact blaming his party leadership for a decision that the Congress High Command as well as Azad were party to.“Congress did not get the mandate for a rotational CM’s seat in 2008 while NC emerged as the single largest party with 28 MLAs as opposed to just 17 MLAs that the Congress had – so this decision was taken on logic and merit,” NC Spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu said in a statement to KNS.
“NC has been a part of the coalition government with sincerity of purpose to serve the people of J&K and has done so with grace and poise and termed such remarks at this juncture of the conclusion of the Government’s term as unfortunate, politically convenient and contrary to facts. Will he also like to attribute the Congress Party’s weakness in other states across the country to NC too?” Mattu asked.“Congress has held key Cabinet portfolios including key works, public essential services and infrastructure for the last six years and if Azad Sahab wants to find misplaced excuses for his party’s self-admitted and acknowledged weakness, our unsolicited advice is that he should find relevant and logical excuses that would at least have some possibility of being taken seriously by the voters,” he added.
“The CM’s seat belonged deservedly to the NC for the entire six years as was mandated by the fact that Congress simply did not have adequate numbers to claim a rotational CM’s seat. This decision was mutually taken by the NC leadership and Congress high command and at that time Azad Sahab not only endorsed the decision but was a party to the decision. So if Azad Sahab is criticizing the Congress High Command for that decision after six years just ahead of elections in the State after admitting that Congress stands weakened in J&K, this is partly a last-minute exercise of looking for excuses and partly an internal matter of the party. Azad has every right to criticize the Congress High Command and blame them for weakening the party in J&K,” he said.“However, one thing should be absolutely clear – NC had the numbers for having our Chief Minister for six years and Congress did not have the numbers to ask for a rotational CM’s seat. That is an absolute truth and fact based on numbers and not perceptions,” the NC spokesman added.