SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hamid Karra on Tuesday reiterated that the Congress would not join the Omar Abdullah-led government until statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the party would not compromise its position for the sake of a Cabinet berth.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Cabinet expansion ceremony, Karra said the party had adopted a principled stand on the issue two years ago and remained committed to it.
“Why do you expect that Congress will take a decision at night and change it in the morning? We have taken a principled stand, and we cannot sacrifice that principled stand for the sake of a Cabinet berth,” he said.
Karra maintained that the party had repeatedly clarified its position over the past two years and ruled out any change in its decision before the restoration of statehood.
Responding to questions about reports that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had offered the Congress a place in the expanded Cabinet and contacted the party on Monday night, Karra said the central issue was not who had approached the Congress but whether it should join the government.
“Whether it is the chief minister or anyone else, the issue is not who contacted us. The question is whether we should join the Cabinet or not. We decided two years ago that we would not join the Cabinet until statehood is restored,” he said.
Describing Cabinet reshuffles and expansions as routine political exercises, Karra said Jammu and Kashmir’s status as a Union Territory imposed certain restrictions on the size of the Council of Ministers.
He noted that the constitutional ceiling limiting the Council of Ministers to 10 per cent of the Assembly’s strength could have made the exercise more challenging for the National Conference.
Karra also confirmed that Congress leaders and workers from both the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region would participate in the party’s proposed rally on November 1.
He said preparations were underway in Jammu to ensure a significant turnout, adding that party members from both regions were expected to attend in large numbers.
The Congress contested the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in alliance with the National Conference but has remained outside the government, maintaining that the restoration of statehood must precede its entry into the Cabinet.
Karra’s latest remarks reaffirm the party’s position amid the NC-led government’s Cabinet expansion, signalling that the demand for statehood remains the principal condition governing Congress’s participation in the administration.
