- Congress will support Omar Abdullah's government from outside without joining the cabinet
- Congress demands restoration of land, job rights, and statehood before cabinet participation
- National Conference offered Congress cabinet seats, but Congress has not changed its stance
The Congress will join Omar Abdullah's government in Jammu and Kashmir but continue to support it from outside, the party said on Thursday. Ahead of the much-awaited cabinet expansion in J&K, the Congress said till the time constitutional rights of people on land, jobs and statehood are not restored, the party will not accept any cabinet berth in Omar Abdullah's government.
The National Conference had made a fresh offer to the Congress to join the cabinet last week. Tariq Hamid Karra, President JKPCC, said there have been a lot of speculations about the offer and whether Congress will join the government. He said the Congress has taken a "principled stand" and the party will not change its stand.
"The Central government has unilaterally and unconstitutionally revoked the constitutional rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Till the time those rights are restored, the Congress party will not join the cabinet. But we will continue to support the government. We want statehood and also constitutional rights on land and jobs restored," said Tariq Hamid Karra.
The Congress has been incensed over an alleged betrayal in the Rajya Sabha elections last year
So far, Omar Abdullah is running his government with five ministers, four from his own party and one independent, against the permitted nine.
There is growing pressure on Omar Abdullah to expand his cabinet as he completes two years in government by October. But it is going to be a tough task for the Chief Minister. There are many ministerial aspirants in National Conference against only four vacancies in the cabinet.
NC-Congress Rift Stays
Cracks in the alliance widened in October last year after the Congress accused its alliance partner of betrayal in Rajya Sabha seat-sharing. Ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls for the UT's four seats, the NC announced three candidates and offered the Congress the fourth, deemed unwinnable. The Congress said it had been assured a "safe seat" and decided not to contest. NC took the first three seats; the BJP's Sat Sharma won the fourth.
At the time, the UT Congress leadership had even asked the party high command to review the alliance with the NC.
In the 90-member House with the majority mark being 46, the NC at present has 41 and the Congress six MLAs, taking the bloc to 47 with just the two parties. The BJP has 29 and the PDP four. But the NC also has the backing of some other, smaller parties and independents.
Tense From The Start
The NC-Congress tension began soon after the election results in 2024, when the Congress demanded two berths in the cabinet against one offered by the NC. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, the total number of ministers in the council of ministers, including the CM, cannot exceed 10 per cent of the total strength of the assembly. That means nine ministers.
Eventually, the Congress decided in 2024 not to join the government; it said it would wait for J&K's statehood to be restored. After the fresh offer now, state Congress leaders have told NDTV that their position remains unchanged.
An elected government in Jammu and Kashmir was formed in October 2024 after over six years of direct central rule following the removal of special status under Article 370 and the bifurcation of the then state into two UTs, J&K and Ladakh. Of the two, J&K has an assembly, but the central government-appointed lieutenant governor continues to have sweeping powers on key matters in the state.
