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| Cracks deepen within coalition, Cong likely to miss cabinet meeting | | | Bashir Assad
Srinagar, Aug 5: After canceling the Iftaar party which was scheduled to be held at Jammu the other day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is likely to defer the cabinet weekly meeting of the state cabinet till Eid fearing his colleagues from the Congress party may boycott the meeting in protest against the anti-congress statements issued by his uncle and NC Additional General Secretary, Dr. Mustafa Kamaal.
Sources in the General Administration Department told Early Times on Monday that the meeting of the state cabinet may be deferred at least till Eid as the cabinet section of the GAD has not received any kind of agenda nor the dates conveyed so for.
"Tomorrow is the holiday no dates have been conveyed to the department implying that there will be no cabinet meeting on Wednesday" an official told Early Times. He, however, said the meeting could take place on some other working day or even on weekend.
However, sources in the Congress party maintain fearing that Congress ministers were likely to stay away from the cabinet in protest against Dr. Mustafa Kamal's utterances against the party, the Chief Minister may put on hold the meeting till the issue is resolved.
He said the Congress Ministers were under tremendous pressure from the party leaders to stay away from the cabinet meeting till Dr. Kamal apologizes for his utterances against the congress party and its leadership.
He said that sensing the mood of the congress camp, the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah had to cancel the Iftar party which was scheduled to be held at Jammu the other day.
The Congress leader further said that the state unit of congress party was unanimous in protesting against Kamaal's anti-congress assertions in a big way and boycotting the cabinet meeting could be the option to register the resentment.
The Congress leader further said that the MPs of the congress party from the state which include Union Health minister Ghulam Nabi azad, PCC president, Professor Saifuddin Soz, Madan Lal Sharma and Chowdhary Lal Singh are likely to agitate the issue before the Congress High Command. "All of them (MPs) have been urged upon to take up the issue with the party high command including the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress President, Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
When contacted a senior Congress minister told Early Times on the conditions of anonymity that the cabinet ministers from his party may stay away from the cabinet meeting in protest against Dr. Kamaal's utterances against the congress party and its leadership. "Yes staying away from the cabinet meeting cannot be ruled out. That gentleman (Dr. Kamaal) has been given free hand to spread venom against the congress party which is not acceptable any more" the minister said.
He said the Congress ministers might skip the next cabinet meeting to protest the inaction of NC leadership against Dr. Mustafa Kamaal for his utterances against Congress party and its leadership.
Pertinently Dr. Kamaal had recently termed PCC president, Professor Saif-ud-Din Soz a "political turncoat" and said NC had given him a high political place although he did not deserve it and accused him of betraying them. He had also accused Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand of being knee-deep in corruption and termed him "a small fish" adding "even former Prime Minister Narsimha Rao found himself helpless before the law of the land".
Congress spokesman and MLC Ravinder Sharma said there was a strong resentment in the Congress against Dr. Kamaal's lattest utterances against the Congress party.
Talking to Early Times on Monday, Sharma said the latest remarks of Kamaal were most irresponsible and the Congress party demands that Kamaal should tender an apology and withdraw his statement. "He has no right to malign the congress party and its leadership more so as his party is in power only because of Congress" Ravinder Sharma said.
He said Congress has many options and would ask its party ministers and workers to protest against Kamaal. |
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