Srinagar, Oct 27: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hamid Karra on Tuesday reiterated that the Congress would not join Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led government until statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the party would not compromise on its position for a cabinet berth.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the cabinet expansion, Karra said the party had taken a principled decision on the issue two years ago and would continue to stand by 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 said the party’s position was not new and had been reiterated repeatedly over the past two years.
“This is not something new. For the past two years, I am tired of repeating it, but I do not know why you people think that decisions can be changed now and then. That is not how it works,” he said.
About Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s reported offer to the Congress and his communication with the party on Monday night, Karra said the issue was not about who had approached the Congress but about its decision on joining the cabinet.
“Whether it is the CM 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.
Karra described cabinet reshuffles and expansions as a normal exercise but said J&K’s status as a Union Territory placed limits on the size of the Council of Ministers.
“It is a normal exercise for a cabinet to be reshuffled or expanded. But since this is a Union Territory, and J&K is experiencing this situation for the first time, there are certain limitations,” he said.
Karra said that the restriction on the size of the cabinet, linked to 10 percent of the Legislative Assembly’s strength, might have made the exercise more difficult for the NC.
