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| Omar mulled constitutional amendment to extend Council of Ministers | | | Bashir Assad
Jammu, Feb 21: Omar Abdullah led coalition Government had almost decided to further amend the Constitution of the State of Jammu and Kashmir last year to increase the ceiling on the size of Ministry from existing 20 % of the total strength of the two Houses of the legislator to 30% to overcome the crises within the coalition by accommodating more and more legislators in the Ministry.
Sources privy to power corridors today told Early Times that the Omar Abdullah Government had, at one point of time, made its mind to further amend the Constitutional amendment act 2006 to increase the ceiling on size of Ministry from 20 % to 30% to accommodate maximum number of aspirants from both the parties -Congress and National Conference, however, the idea was dropped at the last minute for the fear of severe criticism from all the concerned quarters including the opposition parties.
Sources revealed that the Cabinet expansion -cum-reshuffle was put on hold last year because the Government wanted to further amend the Constitution to increase the ceiling on the size of Ministry from 20% to 30% in order to induct more and more legislators from the coalition partners in the Council of Ministers. They said the idea was discussed at the highest political level and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the then Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar had several rounds of deliberations on the idea. They said that for all its practicability, the idea would have been discussed with the Congress high command. Sources, however, were not certain as to whether the idea to further amend the appropriate sections of the Constitution of the State of Jammu and Kashmir was discussed with the State Congress unit or not.
Sources further averred though the idea was discussed at the political level but it was shared with the concerned section of bureaucracy in the Civil Secretariat. Sources said at one point of time the political bureaucracy had made its mind completely to further amend the Constitution to increase the size of Ministry from 20% to 25% or 30% keeping in view the number of MLAs who had put their claim for induction into the Cabinet or who were raucously lobbying for induction into the Council of Ministers. They said, the idea was about to take shape of an amendment proposal to be placed before the State Cabinet for its nod that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah dropped the idea fearing strong criticism from certain quarters.
They said since Congress High Command and the National Conference president and Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah were not in favour of dropping any one among the sitting Ministers and at the same time there was tremendous pressure on Omar from within for expanding the Cabinet, the Government initially thought it appropriate to increase the ceiling on size of Ministry from the existing 20% to 25% or 30% to overcome the crises. But the idea was dropped at the last minute, for, the Chief Minister was apprehensive of strong opposition from the Opposition.
Sources said that the then Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar was about to ask his department to prepare an amendment to be placed before the Cabinet that Chief Minister conveyed him to drop the idea and not to share it with his department. |
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