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| What makes you Minister in J&K? Ask, silent ones | | Of 45 NC-Congress MLAs; 35 enjoyed, enjoying Ministerial comforts | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Jan 18: Either you should be indispensible or too noisy or possessing traits of dissidence or enjoying proximity with 'high commands of respective parties'. This is what seemingly makes you Minister in the ruling National Conference (NC) - Congress combine.
If the recent reshuffle is any indication, then this fits the case. In Jammu and Kashmir, silence coupled with qualification does not count for anything. And if the NC and Congress sources are to be believed, every legislator wants to become minister and if his wish is not granted, he reserves right to threaten of leaving the party or to float a party of his own.
Reports emerging from the NC and Congress camps respectively after the recent induction of new faces, dropping of some of the existing ones and reshuffle of portfolios of all the ministers barring three elders in National Conference (NC) point towards this predicament. National Conference (NC) which has 28 legislators in the state cabinet, has 12 ministers in the council. Of these seven have been inducted recently while seven others, who were ministers until January 15, have been asked to look after party affairs and work towards strengthening NC in both Jammu and Kashmir regions.
If Political Advisor to Chief Minister Mubarak Gul, ex-Chairman of J&K State Commission for Women (SCW) Shamima Firdouse, ex-chairman of Kissan Board Rashpal Singh are included in list alongwith two newly elected Chairman's of Pahari and Kissan boards, number swells to 23, leaving just 5 who neither in the last four years nor after recent upheaval enjoyed any administrative or constitutional post in the state government. These include MLA Hazratbal Dr. Mustafa Kamal, MLA Batamaloo Irfan Shah, MLA Zadibal Peer Aafaq Ahmed, MLA Poonch Aejaz Jan and MLA Sopore Mohammad Ashraf Ganai.
Barring Dr. Mustafa Kamaal, these four who have been unable to impress their bosses during the last four years are ones who are either too silent to be accommodated on the constitutional and administrative posts or have no 'big gun' backing them up. Leave aside the case of MLCs. They have preferred sitting silent because they have been told that they are enjoying perks and other facilities either after having retired from the government service or after losing the elections badly.
In a show of deep distress, Kafeel-ur-Rehman who was appointed Chairman of Pahari board went in the press, claiming of having been neglected despite being a three time MLA. He refused to join the board and showed tendency to revolt. NC acted fast and elevated Kafeel-ur-Rehman by giving him the status of cabinet minister. Radhay Sham Sharma, who is MLA Nowshera, is also seemingly unimpressed despite being appointed as Chairman of Kissan Board.
Those who on day one claimed in the media of having sacrificed themselves for party sake are complaining in private about having been dropped without any 'rhyme or reason'. Such is the fear Psychosis in NC about its leaders shifting to PDP that the leadership dropped seven ministers' alongwith heads of various boards only to accommodate them in the party. It did not bother to even consult the four MLAs and if Bimla Luthra is included, six MLAs are seemingly neither required in the party nor on any other constitutional post.
The posts are being rotated among selected few and if the NC sources are to believed, among the ones who have tendency to rebel. They maintain that of those who have been inducted, four always showed the tendency to revolt. Sources further said that NC has preferred accommodating those who were making too much noise during the last two years and even in the Assembly, had embarrassed the government by speaking the against the party as well the coalition.
On the other side of coin, Congress Leaders Ghulam Mohammed Saroori and Mohammed Sharief Niaz have upped ante, charging their leaders i.e. Ghulam Nabi Azad and PCC President Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz of disappointing them despite possessing requisite qualification.
Of the 17 MLAs which Congress has in the legislative assembly, Saroori and Niaz are among five MLAs of Congress who have been left out of the council of ministers. The other three include MLA Ramban Ashok Kumar, MLA Chenani Krishan Bhagat and MLA Surankote Choudhary Mohammed Aslam. Saroori and Niaz have recently got press handout issued, claiming resignation by Panches and Sarpanches in protest against their non-induction in the state cabinet.
Of the other three, Ashok and Krishan Chander are regarded as non-entities when it comes to seeking a political fortune. Senior Congress leader and a man with powerful credentials, Choudhary Mohammed Aslam has not been keeping well since the last many years and hence, is not even in the reckoning. It needs to be mentioned here that PDP's emergence as a credible political force has provided dissident and left out MLAs, MLCs an option to look at if their parties do not accept their demand of making them ministers or granting them the status of cabinet minister.
One is forced to state that institution of MLA and MLC has lost relevance both in the present administrative set-up as well as in the eyes of the ones sitting on these seats.
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