Srinagar, Nov 28: The two-day National Conference (NC) Working Committee meeting, chaired by NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah, concluded on Friday with the party leadership deciding to pursue bridge-building with New Delhi rather than brinkmanship.
The meeting, attended by Chief Minister and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah along with all Working Committee members and special invitees, resolved to deepen ties with the Centre while rejecting confrontation narratives. A senior NC leader present at the meeting quoted Omar Abdullah as saying that the NC would never ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even if it meant staying out of power for decades, but would maintain a strong working relationship with whichever government is in office at the Centre. He added that this was the line followed by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah as well.
Omar Abdullah dismissed the BJP’s ‘Naya Kashmir’ narrative, recalling that when NC drafted its manifesto for the 2024 Legislative Assembly elections, the party believed the financial position of J&K would allow for development and job creation. However, upon assuming office, the treasury was found empty and promised investments failed to materialise.
Legislators demanded cabinet expansion to improve governance. Omar Abdullah confirmed that Dr Farooq Abdullah would review performance and within six weeks new faces would be inducted. The NC President also committed to revamping the organisational structure, announcing three new Additional General Secretaries and considering the creation of a Secretary General post.
Omar Abdullah urged strengthening of the party’s social media presence and revitalisation of the Youth National Conference (YNC), calling it the future of the party. He said youth committees would be constituted and new state-level posts, including the YNC President, would be announced after review.
NC state spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said the party would continue to raise the demand for restoration of special status and statehood at multiple forums, including Parliament. He noted that the Centre’s failure to return statehood had left the NC-led government hard pressed, with the Lieutenant Governor creating hurdles in implementing the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. Omar Abdullah stressed that departments such as SKIMS, universities, and cultural institutions should be under the elected government’s control, not the LG’s.
Imran Nabi Dar added that vacancies at SKIMS remained unfilled and financial distress was acute, with pensions delayed. Omar Abdullah had raised these concerns directly with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, describing post-Article 370 investment promises as a “bundle of lies.”
The Working Committee also passed seven resolutions, reaffirming commitment to special status and statehood, condemning the Delhi car blast and Nowgam Police Station explosion, and expressing concern over harassment faced by J&K residents in other parts of the country. The committee demanded a high-level investigation into the incidents and accountability for any lapses in Standard Operating Procedure.
Dr Farooq Abdullah assured party workers of his availability and pledged grassroots strengthening. He said organisational changes would bring new faces forward. The leadership acknowledged shortcomings in recent bypolls in Budgam and Nagrota, stressing the need for introspection while pointing out that rival elements had been exposed in their support for the PDP.
