First Column 1

Cover story ►Will he go, Will they come?!

From right: Professor Saif-ud-Din Soz, Mohammed Shafi Qureshi

and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

The two factions of Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, one led by Ghulam Nabi Azad and another by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed that had fallen apart after poll 1996, once again came together after poll 2002 and formed a coalition under an agreement that for first three years PDP would lead the government and for next three years it would be Congress sitting in the steering seat. The arrangement worked well during the first phase with Mufti Sayeed keeping its coalition partners in good humour, but when the time for Azad to lead arrived relations between the two partners began souring. In view of good relations maintained between Congress and PDP, Congress high command at New Delhi wanted that Mufti Sayeed should continue leading the coalition, but Azad reportedly put pressure on 10-Janpath by engineering a revolt by his supporting MLAs in the State. Consequently, Azad became the first ever Chief Minister from Jammu region and Congress CM in the State after 30 years. Though Azad succeeded in materializing his cherished dream, the cost he is paying is enormous. The central leadership became unhappy with him for his maneuvering and this is the reason why Azad failed to include his supporters in his ministry. On the contrary he had to include in the Cabinet all those who had supported central leadership’s idea of Mufti’s continuance. Today, neither Mufti’s supporters in Congress nor his own supporters in the party support Azad making him captain of a disgruntled team whose performance is not encouraging. ....FULL STORY

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