The Congress party remains committed to its alliance with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir but will not join the cabinet until the Centre restores the rights of the people of the Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Tariq Hameed Karra said on Thursday.
Karra’s remarks came amid renewed calls from the National Conference for Congress to join the Omar Abdullah-led government.
“There is no doubt that the National Conference is interested in including Congress in the cabinet,” Karra said.
However, he said the Congress had maintained a “principled stand” since the formation of the government.
“The Congress is part of this government, but we will not join the cabinet until the rights of the 1.4 crore people of Jammu and Kashmir, which were taken away unilaterally and undemocratically, are restored,” Karra said.
He said the party’s position had been conveyed at both the state and national levels and that senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had assured party leaders in Jammu and Kashmir of their support in the struggle for the restoration of those rights.
Karra rejected suggestions that Congress could move away from its stated position, saying the party could not abandon assurances it had given to the people.
Responding to criticism by the Bharatiya Janata Party over promises made by the National Conference during the pre-poll alliance campaign, including concerns over the recent power tariff hike, Karra said the BJP had little moral ground to question the present government.
He said the BJP had been running Jammu and Kashmir before the current elected government took office and questioned what it had done to address the same issues during its tenure.
“These are the questions the BJP is raising today. When it had what it called a double-engine government, what did it do then?” Karra said.
The JKPCC chief said Congress would continue to support the National Conference against political challenges from the BJP but would not hesitate to raise issues affecting the public.
“That does not mean Congress will remain silent on issues of inflation, electricity, gas cylinders or any other matter that hurts the people,” he said, adding that the party would strengthen its efforts to raise public concerns.
On the increase in electricity tariffs, Karra said Congress had expected the government to consider a one-time amnesty scheme for consumers with outstanding power dues rather than impose additional financial pressure.
He said many low-income households had pending electricity bills ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1 lakh and faced the risk of disconnection.
“The department is disconnecting electricity for such consumers. Imagine what happens when power is cut in Jammu during summer or in Kashmir during winter,” he said.
Karra said governments needed to adopt a “human approach” while dealing with people facing financial hardship.
“A government succeeds only when it has a human approach and its heart beats for the people,” he said.
