For power, BJP-Congress alliance in Samba

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 14

The BJP and the Congress have entered an “undeclared” alliance to “enjoy” power in the Samba municipality.

Both have reportedly formed this “unholy” alliance to stop Independents supported by the Panthers Party from capturing the civic body. Pawan Kumar of the BJP and Kamair Singh of the Congress were elected the chairman and vice-chairman of the Samba municipal committee.

Sources said the BJP had offered the vice-chairman post to the Congress to ensure smooth sailing of its chairman candidate Pawan Kumar. “Despite successfully roping in four Independents, the BJP was still short of one member, so the post of the vice-chairman was offered to the Congress to ensure victory of the chairman,” a source said.

In the 17-member Samba municipality, the BJP has four members, followed by two each of the Congress and the Panthers Party. Nine seats were won by Independents.

As four Independents have formally joined the BJP, the party, at the eleventh hour, entered an alliance with the Congress to ensure 10 votes.

“Although we are not in the fray, the leadership of both the BJP and the Congress are answerable to the people for forging such an alliance for the lust of power,” Surjit Singh Slathia, senior National Conference leader and former minister, told The Tribune. He further said both the parties had also forged an “undeclared” alliance for the Ramgarh and Vijaypur municipalities also. “The Congress has supported the BJP in the Vijaypur committee, while the former has reciprocated the same at the Ramgarh council,” said Slathia.

“The election of the chairman and the vice-chairman of the municipal committee has exposed that capturing power is the only agenda of both the national parties,” said Raj Singh, who has won as an Independent candidate.

In the 13-member Ramgarh municipality, the Congress and the BJP have four members each. Paramjit Singh Pumma of the Congress was elected chairman and BJP’s Kamlesh Kumari vice-chairperson. Terming the BJP-Congress alliance as opportunist, Yashpal Kundal, two-time MLA from Samba and senior Panthers Party, said both the parties had entered an alliance “to loot the funds to be allocated for the development of Samba”. The Congress and BJP leadership hasn’t spoken on the alliance.