Rift widens within NC-Congress alliance in J&K over statehood campaign

Srinagar: Despite being in a formal alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, tensions between the National Conference (NC) and the Congress have once again come to the fore, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah publicly expressing displeasure over the grand old party’s decision to launch a campaign for the restoration of statehood without consulting its ally.

Speaking to reporters in the Safapora area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday, Abdullah said, “Let the Congress talk to us first if they want our support in their campaign for restoration of statehood. We only read about it in newspapers. No one has spoken to us.”

The remarks have exposed fresh cracks in the uneasy NC-Congress alliance that formed the government in Jammu and Kashmir after the September-October 2024 assembly elections. Although the coalition succeeded in keeping the BJP and its allies out of power, the relationship between the two partners has been fraught with friction from the start.

The first major sign of strain appeared in October 2024 when the Congress, despite being part of the ruling alliance, declined to join the Abdullah-led cabinet. Instead, the party said it would offer outside support to the NC government.

That decision caught the NC by surprise and set the tone for a frosty working relationship. Although both parties continued to coordinate on floor management and some joint public statements, there has been a clear absence of strategic alignment.

According to political observers, the latest disagreement over the statehood campaign is another indication that the two parties are functioning more as parallel forces rather than a united coalition.

“This is not just a communication lapse. It shows how little trust exists between the NC and Congress. A joint campaign for statehood should have been a natural outcome of a shared vision, but here we are, seeing one ally bypass the other,” said a political analyst in Srinagar.

The restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood — revoked in August 2019 along with Article 370 — has been a longstanding demand of almost all mainstream parties in Jammu and Kashmir. The NC has consistently raised the issue in Parliament and in public forums.

The Congress party’s decision to launch a statewide protest campaign now is being seen as an attempt to reclaim lost political space in the region — but at the cost of coordination with its own alliance partner.

The rift has also raised questions about the coherence of the larger INDIA bloc in Jammu and Kashmir. Omar pointedly noted that the Congress failed to raise the statehood issue during the recent INDIA bloc meeting — an omission that reflects the bloc’s internal contradictions in the UT.

While both NC and Congress have publicly maintained that their alliance is intact, the recurring rifts — from cabinet participation to policy priorities — raise questions about its sustainability in the long run.

With the Congress appearing increasingly assertive and the NC keen to retain its dominant position in Kashmir Valley, the alliance could face further challenges ahead — especially during possible panchayat and municipal polls.