Jammu, August 31
The expansion of the Cabinet by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today triggered a full-blown crisis within the ruling Congress-PDP coalition as he turned down the request of Ms Mehbooba Mufti to take away important portfolio of Finance and Planning from Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig.
Mr Beig was holding the post of Deputy Chief Minister with the portfolio of Finance so far as a nominee of the PDP that was reportedly now annoyed with him over the praises he has been showering on Mr Azad in public meetings and not pursuing the agenda of “self-rule” in J&K.
Mr Beig, who so far was considered as the think-tank of the PDP, has fallen from grace now of the PDP leader, Mufti Sayeed, and his daughter Ms Mehbooba Mufti. She had yesterday written a letter to Mr Azad asking that the Finance portfolio be taken away from Mr Beig and allocated to Mr Tariq Hameed Qarra, a confidant of the Muftis.
However, Mr Azad rejected her request this afternoon and decided to let Mr Beig retain the Finance portfolio. But her recommendation regarding portfolios for other ministers belonging to the PDP has been accepted.
Sources close to Mr Azad said that he had exercised his prerogative of allocating portfolios to his ministers and not bowed to the pressure tactics of Ms Mufti.
Mr Azad was satisfied with the working of Mr Beig and as such he wanted him to continue to hold the Finance portfolio.
The portfolios have been reallocated following the expansion of the ministry on August 29 when nine new ministers were inducted. The PDP took the opportunity to seek change of the portfolio of Mr Beig.
Ms Mufti was not available when this Correspondent tried to contact her on the telephone in Srinagar. She was busy in a meeting with senior leaders of the PDP, the sources said. She is learnt to have already conveyed her protest about the “adamant” behaviour of Mr Azad to the Congress high command.
It is learnt that Ms Mufti has summoned all PDP legislators to Srinagar.
It is learnt that the PDP leader
had written to Mr Azad asking him that Mr Beig be divested of the Finance portfolio that should now be given to Mr Abdul Hameed Qarra, who was, so far, looking after the portfolio of Forests and Urban
Development. Mr Qarra enjoys the confidence of the Muftis.
Because of the squabbles among the coalition partners, allocation of portfolios had got delayed after the expansion on August 29.Initially, there were indications that Mr Beig might go to the extent of resigning from PDP in case Mr Azad accepted the advice of Ms Mehbooba Mufti and allocated him the portfolios of Tourism and Urban Development.
However, efforts of mediators to patch up the matter have proved futile as the PDP stuck to its guns. Mr Azad flew to Delhi in a huff yesterday and is learnt to have discussed the issue with the Congress high command.
A section of the PDP leaders reportedly had taken exception to Beig “unduly” praising Mr Azad in public meetings although the policies of both were conflicting particularly on the issue of militancy. The flashpoint came recently when during her tour of Doda district of Mr Azad, Ms Mufti in her public meetings criticised the state government for the increased incidents of human rights violations and other issues. Almost simultaneously, Mr Beig, who accompanied Mr Azad to Bhaderwah in the district, showered praises on the Chief Minister.
For the past sometime the PDP leadership was feeling alienated as Mr Azad has been giving more importance to the National Conference (NC). The Mufti and his daughter were absent from the foundation laying function of the Haj house at Srinagar yesterday, while Mr Omar Abdullah, president of the NC, shared the dais with Mr Azad. But there were reports that the Congress high command was in favour of continuing the alliance with the PDP.
Ms Mufti had sent a list of portfolios for the PDP nominees in the ministry. She sought the important portfolios of Power Development, Education, Roads and Buildings and Rural Development for ministers belonging to the PDP.
On the other hand, a group within the Congress claimed that finance should now come to them as Mr Beig was looking after the portfolio when the Mufti was the Chief Minister and the Congress had Mr Mangat Ram Sharma as the Deputy Chief Minister.
Congress men were eyeing other important portfolios too.
In the meantime, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, who was an associate member of the Congress legislature party, has dissociated himself from the party in protest against inclusion of “less” literate persons in the ministry by ignoring his claim. He has sent a letter to the Speaker of the Assembly in this context.
He has also protested that Jammu was not given due representation in the ministry. Many districts had poor representation.
The Panthers Party has also expressed annoyance for not being given a single berth in the ministry.
The Congress leaders in Kashmir were annoyed that not a single legislator of the party belonging to the valley was inducted during the expansion. The Congress had poor representation from the valley in the ministry earlier too.
The party activists here were also dissatisfied as Jammu district having the highest number of 13 Assembly seats had only two ministers — one from the Congress and the other belonging to the PDP.
