Srinagar, Apr 23: Amid fresh round of war of words between ruling coalition partners- National Conference (NC) and Congress - NC leader Dr. Mustafa Kamaal Monday questioned the 1975 Indira-Sheikh Accord and added that ‘both factions’ of Congress were ‘playing games’ with NC. The Congress termed the utterances as ‘unfortunate.’
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at party headquarters here, Kamaal said that National Conference would emerge victorious against Congress.
“Both the factions are united against NC. But Omar Abdullah has to win it and definitely he will,” Kamaal said in reply to a query.
The NC leader questioned the validity of 1975 Accord signed between his father Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saying it was unfinished. He added that there is no documentary proof that Accord was completed and if “Accord had been completed where are the signatures of both the leaders?”
“Former Chief Minister Syed Mir Qasim too has attested in his autobiography that the exercise had remained incomplete and there is no proof that it was completed,” he said. Later in the evening, Kamaal said there is no doubt that Omar Abdullah would defeat Congress as the latter has ‘no base’ in the state.
“People are with National Conference and opposition PDP is baby of New Delhi, so I am sure that we will emerge as winner,” he said. The cold war between alliance partners began last week after Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad pulled up Jammu and Kashmir Government for executing developmental works at “slow pace” in the state. The NC responded strongly to the remarks saying that Azad was instigating masses against Omar Abdullah government.
It took new twist on Sunday

when Soz accused NC of creating hurdles in empowerment of Panchayats in the state. On expected lines, Kamaal accused Soz of trying to destabilize the coalition government.
Congress has termed Kamaal’s today’s utterances as unfortunate.
“I cannot say anything more than that these remarks are unfortunate,” State Congress leader and Minister for Public Health Engineering, Taj Mohiuddin told Greater Kashmir.
State Congress president Saifuddin Soz said that Kamaal’s utterances are ‘not worth to be commented upon.’
“I won’t say anything about it,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST