So Omar Abdullah took his party on a bus trip to Dachigam National Park . Feels less like a political meeting and more like school picnic ah,but reason is quite serious.
Apparently this whole excursion on June 3,2026 was to review the UT government's performance after almost 19 months in office . Abdullah himself posted on social media,saying,"We are off for off-site to spend the day taking stock of the last 19 months - good,the not so good & everything in between".
And he seemed a bit irritated with media rumours about the location . He had to clarify that the meeting was always planned for Dachigam,not shifted last minute. His exact words were,"I’m sorry to disappoint you but it has NOT 'been shifted at the last moment'. It was always my intention to conduct this meeting off-site and all arrangements have been made,days in advance,at the location originally chosen by me".
But tbh,this is where politics gets really interesting.
The guest list for this "off-site" meeting is very telling . Five independent MLAs who support NC government were there. But the Congress party was completely left out.
And this is despite Congress having six MLAs supporting government . The reason given is their different stance on restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. A huge point of friction,obviously.
Few things standing out clearly from this whole setup:
- Congress was excluded from this key review meeting over the statehood issue.
- Five independent MLAs were invited,which shows NC is trying to project unity with its allies .
- The venue,Dachigam rest house,has historical significance and restricted access.
At same time,Abdullah has apparently kept a cabinet berth vacant for a Congress nominee . So it's like,we won't invite you to our performance review,but you can still join government? Very confusing signal to send.
This whole meeting happened at Dachigam rest house which is not a small thing ah . Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used to stay there during her Kashmir visits . NC sources confirmed lunch arrangements were made in advance at the park.
Looks like the NC strategy is to show everyone they have enough support to run things,even without full cooperation from Congress . A show of strength,maybe.
But this whole dynamic with Congress… excluding them from a major review meeting but keeping a cabinet spot open feels like a very complicated game . I don't know how this relationship will move forward if they can't even sit in the same room to talk about government's performance…
