Fayaz Bukhari
-Excelsior/Sajad Dar
Srinagar, Dec 28: Congress may not forge alliance with any regional party in the State as its senior leaders today said that alliance in other States has weaken the party.
The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Minister for Health, Ghulam Nabi Azad while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a rally at Shangus in South Kashmir district of Anantnag said: “We fought election in (alliance with other political parties) in Tamilnadu, Bihar and UP, but we felt that our party was being wiped out from these States where we have been in coalition for long.”
Azad said that there is general consensus in the party against alliance with any party in the State. “Our party workers say that if we have to keep alive the party, we don’t need to be in coalition but our party should be kept alive in every Assembly constituency”, he said.
Azad said that Congress will respect the sentiments of its workers and take a decision at appropriate time. “Soz and I, we both, respect the sentiments of our party workers. We are weighing options when and how those sentiments are given a practical shape”, he added.
National Conference had recently announced candidates for three Parliamentary Constituencies of Kashmir valley hinting at coalition with Congress party as the party left three constituencies of Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh for Congress.
The Congress leader said that his party supported Aam Admi Party in Delhi to avoid re-election as it would have been costlier. “It would have been costlier to conduct re-elections in Delhi after two months, which would not have been fair. We would not have supported BJP there, so, we gave support to AAP to form the Government”, he said.
Earlier Azad and Congress president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz shared dais at public rally at Shangas showing that there are no differences in party.
Addressing the rally, Azad said that it was a happy coincidence that this day happens to be the Foundation Day of the Indian National Congress.
Azad said that his party had contributed enormously to the overall development of the State over a long period of time, be it the Development of infrastructure, Healthcare, Generation of Power, construction of roads and Railways.
The Congress leader told the gathering that Congress Party has become popular in Kashmir as well despite efforts by our adversaries to damage Congress. “The people of all the three regions have accepted Congress Party as a tool of service to them”, he added.
Soz appealed the Congress workers to stand united and strengthen the party in all the three regions of the State. He said that Congress has become a vibrant force in all the three regions.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed Minister for Haj and Auqaf and GA Mir, Minister for Tourism.
Earlier, supporters of the two leaders of Congress party from the constituency fought at the rally over the issue of mandate from Shangus.
The fight erupted between supporters of Khalid Maqbool Dar, the son of former Congress Minister Mohammad Maqbool Dar and Gulzar Ahmad Wani, the two-time defeated candidate of the party, just before Soz finished his speech.
Wani was coming close to the dais where Soz was addressing the gathering, Dar gestured his supporters to beat him. “His supporters obliged and started beating Wani. Seeing their leader receiving blows, Dar’s supporters retaliated and a fight ensued,” the witnesses said.
Dar’s supporters raised slogans in his favour, and interrupted Soz’s speech, yelling “Humara candidate change karo” (change our candidate). The irate supporters also used foul and abusive language against each other.
“Sensing more trouble, the securitymen swung into action and whisked away the fighting supporters,” the witnesses said.
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