As Rahul Gandhi lands in J-K today, all eyes on whether Congress, National Conference join hands

All India Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said that the two are visiting “for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections”.

Both the Congress and the National Conference are already part of the opposition India bloc at the national level. Though NC president and former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah recently said that there would be no pre-poll alliance with any political party, sources said that Gandhi and Kharge are visiting Jammu and Kashmir after the NC approached the Congress in this regard.

Newly appointed J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra, who arrived in Jammu on Tuesday, addressed party workers and said, “Our policy is very clear. We are ready to join hands with any party or individual who is against the BJP and its policies.”

Speaking to media persons, he said, “To my knowledge, NC has already approached our central leaders.” To a question about the organisations Congress is willing to join hands with, Karra said, “All like-minded parties, whether they belong to Jammu or Kashmir. The only criteria is they should be like minded.”

Congress and NC had a pre-poll alliance during the recently held Lok Sabha elections. While Congress contested both Lok Sabha seats in Jammu division and one in Ladakh, NC fielded candidates for the three seats in Kashmir. However, Congress lost all three seats while NC won two.

Despite facing a defeat in Jammu, the Congress is eyeing on winning assembly seats in the plains and Chenab Valley region. Party leaders believe there is resentment against BJP in the region over the issue of unemployment, rising prices and lack of development.

Karra, while addressing the party workers, also reminded them that Jammu region, which was once free of militancy, has started witnessing incidents of militant activity almost daily. “Only the goal post got changed and militancy shifted from Kashmir to Jammu,” he said.