Congress' Struggle to Present United Face in J&K Post Operation Sindoor

Post Pahelgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir is struggling to present a united face both in terms of ideological clarity and leadership.

- RASHEED KIDWAI

Partymen from Jammu are on boil over state party president Hamid Mir Karra's controversial statements that frequently contradict Rahul Gandhi and Congress's stand of offering "unconditional" support to the Narendra Modi government in taking on Pakistan.

The popular sentiment, including those belonging to the Congress in Jammu, is drastically different from the Kashmir valley on the range of issues such as the need for a composite dialogue with Pakistan.

When India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, Karra went public saying, "This is a counter-action to the action... but our request is that the governments of both countries remain cool. As a Kashmiri, I would like to say that whenever there is a conflict between Pakistan and India, the victims are the Kashmiris. Therefore, both the Indian and Pakistani governments should stay cool." Karra in the past had projected Kashmir as a 'third party' advising both India and Pakistan, which was akin to Hurriyat and separatists' stand. As finance minister in the Mufti cabinet, Karra had created a flutter suggesting a common currency in 'south Asia.'

Karra subsequently sought to defend his remarks and argued that he had not said anything out of turn. "This is simply a misinterpretation of things. Whatever I said is a reiteration of our leader, Rahul Gandhi. We said that wars have always brought devastation to both countries," he said.