Srinagar, Nov 5: Focus has shifted to a meeting between rebel MLAs and National Conference leadership on Friday.
Rebels have been working overtime to chalk out a roadmap which will be placed before Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah on Friday.
“The members would meet party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday to discuss their concerns,” said National Conference MLA from Hazratbal, Salman Sagar.
Sagar met Gurez MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi at this residence today. Gurezi is among the dissident MLAs. The visit, sources said, was aimed at cooling the tempers before a big meeting with
Sources said the lava was brewing within the National Conference. However, the recent cabinet expansion ignited it to the extent that 18 members held an informal get-together and discussed the political development. Dissidents are particularly unhappy over overlooking key leaders in the cabinet expansion.
What has added fuel to the fire was the resignation of Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah. National Conference is facing the biggest threat in the last two decades. The party is wary of going to polls at this juncture. Rebellion coupled with unfulfilled promises is making the party restive.
Dissidents on the other side are not in a mood to give up. They have demanded performance appraisal and fulfilment of the promises made during polls. Sources said the leaders feel that they will face drubbing if party goes back from their promises. On top of it, the rebel group is consolidating in the party, as many are extending support without explicitly coming out in the open. Sources said the strength of MLAs in the rebel group has reached 21, and more are likely to join in.
Some reports say that the party is considering appointing a few advisors to assuage the feelings of the rebel group. Since there is a cap on cabinet berths, the advisor route is being considered to cool the tempers. Omar, sources said, may appoint some advisors who can accommodate some rebels.
“This will ease some pressure. Some schemes may also be announced that will help create goodwill on the ground. The party is not leaving anything to chance. The leaders do not want to meet PDP’s fate. They are trying to nip the bud,” said a source.
Publicly, NC is displaying bravado to show that `all is well’ within the party. “There is no contradiction within the party leadership. Party leadership was directly engaging with the members concerned and that some grievances could have arisen due to communication gaps rather than any big differences,” said National Conference MLA from Hazratbal, Salman Sagar.
Describing the National Conference as a family, Sagar said minor disagreements were natural in every organisation and could be resolved through dialogue and mutual understanding.