Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Qara on Tuesday accused the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) of a “repeated betrayal of trust,” saying the party’s refusal to offer Congress a safe seat in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections signaled that the NC was “moving away” from the INDIA bloc.
Qara, who chaired a key meeting of Congress leaders on Sunday, said the NC had shown “questionable motives” ever since the alliance government was formed in the Union Territory.
“We have submitted our report to the party headquarters for further action,” Qara told PTI over the phone, adding that the NC’s actions clearly showed “an intent to marginalise Congress while exploiting its support.”
During the Sunday meeting, attended by six MLAs and senior office-bearers, Qara presented a detailed account of the Congress-NC partnership and accused the NC of reneging on a crucial understanding regarding the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for October 24.
“By backtracking on the promise of offering one safe seat to the Congress, the NC is tactically distancing itself from the INDIA alliance,” he said, calling the move a “blatant betrayal” of alliance dharma.
According to Qara, Farooq Abdullah had explicitly assured Congress of one safe seat in recognition of its role in the alliance. However, the NC went on to announce three candidates last week and, after Congress declined to field a nominee, named a fourth candidate on Monday.
“The NC’s conduct disregards alliance principles and exposes its intent to betray commitments on crucial matters,” Qara said.
He stressed that the Congress would now focus on rebuilding itself as a “strong, vibrant, and independent force” free from “the crutches of unreliable alliances.” The party, he said, had originally joined hands with the NC to “restore dignity and counter divisive politics” in Jammu and Kashmir.
With 41 MLAs, the NC currently leads the government in the 90-member Assembly. Congress has six MLAs, whose withdrawal would reduce the government’s strength to 48. The coalition also enjoys support from six Independents and one CPM member. The opposition includes BJP (28), PDP (3), and one MLA each from AAP, People’s Conference, and Rashid Engineer’s party.
Due to two vacant seats — Nagrota (after BJP’s Devinder Singh Rana’s death) and Budgam (after Abdullah retained Ganderbal) — the effective strength of the House stands at 88, putting the majority mark at 45.
Qara said the Sunday meeting focused on charting Congress’s independent course in J&K.
“As the senior partner, the Congress made major sacrifices during the 2024 Assembly elections, accepting an unfair seat-sharing deal in the interest of unity,” he said. “But the NC’s repeated betrayals have exposed their intentions from the beginning.”
He also criticised “provocative” remarks by NC leaders, particularly Omar Abdullah’s campaign comment suggesting that “Congress leadership should focus outside Kashmir.”
Most notably, Qara cited Abdullah’s praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he said, “Whatever the PM says, he fulfills, so we can bank on him,” describing it as a “soft stance toward the BJP.”
Qara further alleged that the NC-led cabinet passed a statehood restoration resolution without consulting Congress, undermining its position as a coalition partner. He said the NC also rejected the Congress’s proposal to form a coordination committee, a standard mechanism in coalition politics.
“The NC’s decision to distance itself from our statehood protests and ignore the spirit of partnership has weakened the collective voice,” Qara said, adding that such actions reflect a “regressive mindset” incompatible with alliance values.
