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| Cabinet Meeting: Cong-Pdp faces another litmus test on March 29 | | | Jammu, March 26
Fate of Cong-PDP coalition which continues to hang in balance would really be known only on March 29 during crucial cabinet meeting as presence or absence of PDP ministers would determine whether or not conflict has been resolved amicably between the two partners or not.
As per the political grapevine, if the four PDP ministers attend the cabinet meeting it will indicate that the differences between the two have been sorted out. Since February 28 the PDP ministers boycotted three consecutive cabinet meetings in protest against Chief Minister’s refusal even to acknowledge the letter from the PDP legislature party leader,Mr Abdul Aziz Zargar, in which he had requested Mr Azad to convene a special meeting of the cabinet for a discussion on the demand for reduction in troops in the state.
The PDP ministers, however, attended a meeting of the state committee on disaster management for evolving a strategy for tackling problems kicked up by heavy snow and rain.The PDP ministers had explained that they attended the meeting,where all members of the council of ministers were present alongwith senior functionaries of Army,police and civil administration,because the issue pertained to serious problems being faced by people.
In reply to a question whether the PDP ministers will attend the next cabinet meeting senior party leaders said “the matter will be discussed at a meeting of the political Affairs Committee of the PDP which may meet in Srinagar on March 28 provided Mufti Mohd.Sayeed returned from Delhi by that date.” They said in case the Mufti was stuck in Delhi “he and the party Chief,Ms Mehbooba Mufti will have the final say on the matter.”
Official sources said that one main agenda regarding posting of senior officers of the civil and police administration to recently created eight districts was to be discussed. The sources said that the matter could not be taken for discussion in the two last cabinet meetings because of the absence of the PDP ministers and the Chief Minister was keen to get the posting orders cleared by the cabinet.
The sources said that in case the PDP ministers again boycotted the cabinet meeting it would indicate that the conflict between the Congress and the PDP was yet to be ironed out completely.
They said that if the differences have been resolved the PDP leadership may no longer insist on a separate discussion in the cabinet on its demand for cut in strength of the troops because the issue has been already sorted out in the talks the Mufti and his senior party colleagues had held in Delhi with the Prime Minister,Dr Manmohan Singh,and other functionaries of the AICC.When contacted three out of four PDP ministers were not available in Jammu and were reportedly camping in Kashmir valley. Finance Minister Tariq Hameed Qarra, who was present in his office chambers here in the civil secretariat was reportedly busy in routine work and was attending series of meetings. |
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