Soz says no plans of taking over as J-K CM

The Congress-National Conference tie-up in Jammu and Kashmir has been finalised. NC president Omar Abdullah, 38, will be the state's youngest CM. But there is also a twist in the story.

According to the sources the Congress may not just want to remain the kingmaker but might also want to be a part of the government. The Congress is likely to ask for a deputy chief minister.

President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Saifuddin Soz joins CNN-IBN to tell what are the modalities of the Congress-NC alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.

Suhasini Haidar: What are the modalities of the Congress-NC alliance? Is it on the lines of the Congress-PDP power sharing?

Saifuddin Soz: It is the first big development is that Omar Abdullah will be the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Now, the nitty-gritty and how coalition will be shaped that process has already started. And, around this time we are not going to take many days. In 2002, almost 22 days were spent to forge coalition but this time things are a bit easier so we shall take a day or two at most to decide the modalities of how coalition will be shaped in Jammu and Kashmir.

Anubha Bhonsle: It has been very quick and perhaps very swift this time as far as the stitching of the alliance is concerned but there have been some reports that while Gulam Nabi Azad was on the side of the NC, you were still hoping the PDP tie up with the Syed family (PDP leader and former CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed). How will you react to that?

Saifuddin Soz: This is the guess of the journalists. There is no question of difference of opinion between Gulam Nabi Azad and me. Our perceptions this time were the same because certain things have happened and it was not seen as a practical proposition to forge a coalition with the People's Democratic Party (PDP). So, it is not that I toed one line and Gulam Nabi Azad toed another line. We came to Delhi for discussion and then we found that all of us are together in this.

Suhasini Haidar: You say the Congress if together on this with the NC but is this not true that the Congress put a lot of pressure on the NC to make Omar Abdullah and not his father and former chief minister Farooq Adbullah the CM?

Saifuddin Soz: Whether Farooq Abdullah should be the CM or Omar Abdullah and they resolve it there. It was going to be a coalition with the NC but we couldn’t have said that you make Omar Abdullah the chief minister but when they decided Omar was also very much accepted to Delhi. So, the decision came in natural way, no one said that if you propose Omar Abdullah the CM only then the coalition will be there otherwise not. This is not correct.

Anubha Bhonsle: Are we now speaking to a future CM of the state - would you be open to taking on that role in case there is a rotation in this coalition arrangement?

Saifuddin Soz: I was not a contender. Whatever position party thinks is better for me and I am worthy of any position it will come in a natural way. It is not that I will say that I am a contender and give a position to me. This should not happen and it didn’t happen.

Suhasini Haidar: Thank you, for joining us.

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