NC will split, govt will collapse: Sunil Sharma

Srinagar, Oct 28: Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Wednesday claimed that the National Conference was heading towards a split and that the Omar Abdullah-led government would eventually collapse, alleging that Tuesday’s cabinet expansion had brought longstanding internal differences within the ruling party into the open.
‎Speaking to reporters, Sharma said dissatisfaction among a section of National Conference leaders had become visible following the induction of new ministers, with some party members allegedly questioning the dominance of one family in the organisation.
‎”I have already said there are cracks within the National Conference. Those cracks are now becoming visible. We are waiting to see when they widen further,” Sharma said.
‎He claimed that a dissatisfied group within the ruling party had been raising objections to what he described as dynastic control.
‎”There is a dissatisfied group which has been repeatedly saying that family rule and dynastic politics will not work. After yesterday’s oath ceremony, that dissatisfaction has started coming out through statements and protests from different places,” he said.
‎The BJP leader maintained that the developments following the cabinet expansion supported his earlier assessment of internal divisions within the National Conference.
‎”The party is divided. Just wait and watch. The party will split and the government will also fall. I have said this before, and things are moving in that direction,” Sharma claimed.
‎Asked about allegations of lobbying within the National Conference over ministerial positions, Sharma said he was not in a position to comment on the party’s internal decision-making.
‎”I am not an expert on the National Conference. I have not done a PhD on the party to know everything happening inside it,” he remarked.
‎However, he reiterated his claim that the ruling party was facing internal difficulties.
‎Responding to suggestions that the BJP had approached several National Conference legislators following the cabinet expansion, Sharma rejected the allegation and questioned why his party would intervene in what he described as an internal dispute.
‎”Why would the BJP approach them? I have already said that the BJP is not going to form a government. Why should we interfere in their internal fight? Let them deal with it themselves,” he said.
‎When asked directly whether he had approached any legislators, Sharma responded by asking reporters whether there was any evidence that he had done so.
‎He maintained that the BJP had no reason to involve itself in the National Conference’s internal affairs.
‎The remarks come a day after four National Conference legislators were inducted into the Council of Ministers, an expansion that has also generated discussion over the exclusion of several senior party leaders who had been considered contenders for ministerial positions.
Sharma’s claims of an impending split or collapse of the government remain political assertions, with no formal break in the National Conference established by his remarks.
‎The National Conference had not immediately responded to Sharma’s latest statements. (KNS)