According to sources in NC, the 47-year-old Abdullah scion has already chosen a team of “young” leaders to run the party affairs in future. The team, according to sources, comprise Davinder Singh Rana from Jammu, Nasir Aslam wani from Kashmir and two new entrants, Tanveer Sadiq and Junaid Azeem Matto, all of whom are likely to be given key party affairs to handle.
According to the senior leaders in NC, Farooq Abdullah is well aware about the limitations and handicaps of his son Omar Abdullah and was trying hard to convince the older leaders in the party that he himself should continue as the party patron and that they would not be disrespected in any way.
If all goes according to the plans of Omar Abdullah and his team, a National Conference convention would be held later this month to elect him formally as the party president. Omar Abdullah and his team want to make it a mega event slated to be held in the capital, Srinagar, in which delegates of the party would be invited from the entire J&K.
However, Omar’s efforts have met with resistance from some seniors in the party who fear getting into oblivion under an all-Omar team. A senior NC leader, who has been a minister for decades, told this reporter that “Omar Abdullah will ruin the party as he has no connect with the general masses and does not consult his party colleagues much on vital issues.” “He should have been nominated as the party spokesman and should have been handling the party affairs on the social networking turf. He has no respect for senior party colleagues and whenever we talk to him he is always on his Twitter handle,” another leader and former National Conference minister, who is close to Farooq Abdullah, told this reporter.
Although Farooq Abdullah is said to have reluctantly agreed to the change of guard, many leaders are insisting that the veteran should continue to hold the fort of the party. One senior leader told this reporter that “We want Farooq to be the face of the party for the next Assembly elections.” They said that in 2008 people had voted for Farooq Abdullah as Chief Ministerial candidate and that Omar was picked by ally Congress to lead the state, and not by its people.
Reports said that Farooq Abdullah, after sensing the opposition to Omar Abdullah within the party rank and file, has decided to continue as the patron of NC and to take decisions in such a manner that there is no major rebellion against his son.