SRINAGAR: The Congress, which was a pre-poll ally of the ruling National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir and did not join the government when Omar Abdullah took over as first chief minister of Union Territory on October 16 — has yet not received a call from the ruling party on joining the government.This is even though the Omar government is set to fill one or all three vacant cabinet berths before the budget session of the J&K Assembly, likely to be held in February 2025. J&K does not have a finance minister, but CM Omar Abdullah is looking after the ministry.Talking to this newspaper, J&K Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra said nothing is known about government expansion. He said there has been no discussion between the NC and Congress on cabinet expansion or Congress joining the government yet.Last month, the CM said Congress was not part of the government. When asked if the cabinet is expanded and whether Congress will join the government, Karra said, “We will take the call at that time only. Once they ask us, we will take a call”.Congress linked joining the Omar Abdullah government with restoring statehood to J&K. “We stick to our stand, which is a principled stand and connected with statehood. It holds good even today,” he added.On August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped J&K’s special status and downgraded and bifurcated the erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories.The Congress won six seats in the 90-member J&K Assembly and is supporting Omar Abdullah-led government.Sources in Congress said that the party would be more willing to join the Omar government when the cabinet expansion takes place and if Congress is invited to join the government.
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