New Delhi, October 26
Stepping up pressure on the Congress central leadership for change of guard in Jammu and Kashmir on the scheduled date of November 2, several Congress MLAs and associate members of the party have submitted their resignations to the Assembly Speaker Tara Chand.
The MLAs, who have submitted their resignations separately, have urged the Speaker to accept their resignations if a Congress Chief Minister does not assume office by November 2. The Speaker is in the capital and met Congress President Sonia Gandhi yesterday to give his views on power-sharing arrangement in the state.
Mr G.M. Saroori, a Congress MLA, said that 21 party legislators, including seven associate members, had given their resignation letters to the Speaker. He said that the Congress should implement the power-sharing agreement with the PDP and assume office of Chief Minister on November 2.
Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma and PCC chief Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed were not among those who submitted their resignations. Mr Saroori said they would not leave the capital till the Congress central leadership accepts their demand of a Congress chief Minister. He said that the change of guard would not affect relief work in the quake-affected areas. “The relief work is moving apace and will not face hurdles,” he said.
Mr Saroori, who was accompanied by three other party MLAs, said that state Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed should resign in keeping with the agreement to pave the way for a Congress chief minister. “We extended full cooperation to the PDP-led government on directions of our central leadership. Our patience should be rewarded,” he said.
AICC general secretary Ambika Soni, however, said no MLA had resigned. “Such reports are baseless. Why should they resign? They have all been heard and have said that decision of Congress president will be acceptable to them,” she said.
As per the agreement between PDP and Congress, both the parties were to have their Chief Minister for three years each during the six-year term of the Assembly after the 2002 elections.
Having heard them, the Congress central leadership had asked its MLAs to go back and rejoin the work of rehabilitation in the earthquake-affected areas. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is likely to re-visit the earthquake-affected areas in the state after Id, today met Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, former PCC chief Ghulam Rasool Kar and party leaders G S Charak and Puran Singh. “We have given our views. Ms Gandhi will take the final decision. We will abide by whatever decision is taken,” he said.
Though Ms Gandhi had called some senior leaders from the Jammu and Kashmir to the capital for consultations, nearly all party MLAs had reached Delhi.
