Congress-NC: several ups, but many downs

When the National Conference and Congress form a coalition government under the leadership of Omar Abdullah.

When the National Conference and Congress form a coalition government under the leadership of Omar Abdullah, it will not be for the first time that the country8217;s largest national party enters into an alliance with J038;K8217;s largest regional party to form a government in this border state.

In 1975, when the Congress was ruling J038;K, the then prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi, asked Congress chief minister Syed Mir Qasim to vacate his chair for NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. At that time, the Congress leadership in Delhi argued that the party8217;s sacrifice was in the nation8217;s interest as it served to bring the annoyed Sheikh closer to New Delhi.

On the direction of the Congress high command, all Congress legislators in the Assembly elected Sheikh Abdullah as leader of the House. After years of animosity with the Centre 8212; Sheikh Abdullah was put behind bars in 1953 as the Centre accused him of working against the 8216;national interest8217; 8212; the 8216;Sher-e-Kashmir8217; had become J038;K8217;s chief minister with the help of Congress.

A Congress legislator, Mohammad Maqbool Kalia, vacated his seat, Ganderbal, for Sheikh Abdullah. Later, Abdullah contested elections from Ganderbal and got elected with a thumping majority. Since then, Ganderbal has been an NC political bastion.

However, three years later, the Congress accused Sheikh Abdullah of trying to weaken the state Congress by encouraging rebellion within the party rank and file. The Congress withdrew support from the government.

In 1984, when Farooq Abdullah8217;s estranged brother-in-law Ghulam Mohammad Shah defected from the National Conference along with 12 Assembly members to form his own political party, the Congress lent Shah8217;s government outside support. Shah became the chief minister. On March 5, 1985, the Congress withdrew support from the government, accusing Shah of failing to provide a stable government.

Again, in 1987, the Congress and NC formed a pre-poll alliance and the pact was named the Rajiv-Farooq accord. Both parties contested polls on a seat-sharing basis and came to power. However, the elections were widely believed to be rigged and this gave rise to the militant struggle in Kashmir.

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The coalition, headed by NC patron Farooq Abdullah, lasted only two years. Farooq resigned from chief-ministership soon after New Delhi appointed Jagmohan as governor of the state.