Congress miffed with National Conference?

JAMMU - The Congress appears to be miffed with its ruling ally National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir. Party leaders feel they are not being consulted on crucial issues.

State Congress president Saifuddin Soz has advised party leaders to guard against any move by the National Conference to push through matters without consulting them.

“It is imperative for the National Conference to consult us on all important issues, that’s the essence of coalition dharma,” Soz is reported to have told party leaders.

“We have a role within and outside of the government and the primary interest is in furthering the party interest,” a party leader quoted Soz as saying.

Soz had objected to the National Conference not discussing the issue of setting up three new universities, one of them a trans-world Islamic University in the Kashmir Valley. He had asked his party members in the legislative council to stall the bill in its present form, which led to the bill being sent to a select committee of the house.

A coordination panel was set up by both the National Conference and Congress to discuss all issues concerning the government for smooth functioning of the coalition.

The Congress, the party source said, was being given “second class treatment” in government work. National Conference ministers were ignoring Congress leaders, creating a trust deficit at the local level.