Jammu, June 24
A crisis was created for the Mufti-led coalition government today when four ministers belonging to the Congress party resigned to protest against the curtailment of the Amarnath pilgrimage to one month by the Chief Minister and his “efforts” to get the selection list of the Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) nullified.
The ministers who have sent their resignations are Mr Jugal Kishore, Mr Yogesh Sawhney, Mr Raman Bhalla and Dr Ramesh.
It is learnt that they have despatched their resignations to the Central Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also Chairman of the coordination committee of the coalition.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, has air dashed to Delhi to discuss the situation with the party high command. He drove straight to Mr Azad’s office and apprised him of the matter.
None of these ministers were available on telephone and efforts to reach them remained futile.
Their resignation appears to be an effort to counter the campaign that the VHP, BJP and various other organisations have launched against the Congress for having failed to persuade the Mufti to accept the suggestion of the Governor, Lt. Gen S.K. Sinha (retd), to extend the pilgrimage to two months. The Chief Minister has outrightly rejected the demand which has put the Congress in an embarrassing position, particularly in the Jammu region where the Opposition was accusing it of being incompetent of protecting the rights of Hindus and being hand in glove with the Mufti.
The Mufti had publicly ridiculed Mr Mangat Ram Sharma at a function here recently when he rejected his demand for extending the pilgrimage by two months.
The demand has now gained political overtones with the BJP and VHP campaigning against the Congress.
Besides, there was resentment among a section of the ministers belonging to Jammu over the reshuffle of portfolios following the resignation of two ministers of the region who have been elected to the Lok Sabha.
The Congress ministers of Jammu were annoyed
that
the Mufti had given the PWD portfolio to a minister belonging to Kashmir. They wanted that the portfolio that was held by Mr Madan Lal Sharma should have been assigned to someone from Jammu following his resignation.The Congress ministers were seeing this action of the Chief Minister as a step towards dividing the Congress party.
It is learnt that these ministers have also taken exception to the Chief Minister and another PDP ministry trying to get the selection list of the KAS nullified by the Public Service Commission.
The Kashmiri leaders have reportedly not relished the list in which the number of successful candidates from Jammu was more than from the valley. Certain ministers of the PDP had started publicly criticising the Chairman of the commission for making these selections.
