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| Omar to Mufti: Forget Pardesi, talk of Rafi Mir | | ‘Thinner the Ministry, lesser the expenditure’ | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Mar 31: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today made it clear that expansion in his Council of Ministers could happen only after completion of the current Lok Sabha elections. Responding to the PDP Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s allegation that the National Conference-led coalition government had committed “a bizarre act of political corruption” in engineering Ghulam Qadir Pardesi’s defection over bargaining of a seat for him in the Legislative Council, Omar sought to remind him that PDP had donme the same in arranging the defection of former NC leader Rafi Ahmed Mir just three years ago.
“I am working with 10 ministers and the government is functioning well. With lesser number of ministers, I am actually saving your taxes,” Omar told reporters at a function organised to welcome some ‘new and old faces’ back into the NC fold at his party headquarters here this afternoon.
“Fingers were raised when last government was working with 30 member ministry and now there are calls for expansion in my cabinet. When need would arise I would discuss the issue with my ruling partners but there would be no expansion before elections (parliamentary polls,” he added.
Omar Abdullah castigated PDP Patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed for his remarks of calling as “political corruption” the induction of Ghulam Qadir Pardesi as a nominated Member of Legislative Council.
“Bestowing Rafiq Mir (former NC rebel and PDP MLA Pahalgam) with a seat in Legislative Council, that too against a seat reserved for intellectuals, when in his lifetime he had not written a single intellectual piece, and Nizam-ud-din Khatana also was granted seat in the Council after what he did with woman’s Bill, was not political corruption and now Pardesi has returned to party fold and we want to learn from his experience is a political corruption. Well it is thinking of Mufti sahib and he showed the way,” Omar said.
Reports reaching Press Bureau of India said that Mufti Sayeed on Sunday termed the act of the granting Pardeshi with seat in state’supper house as a glaring example of political corruption.
On seat sharing agreement between ruling partners for ensuing Lok Sabha election, Omar Abdullah said that most of the seats have been finalized but refused to divulge details whether the partners would contest on equal share basis or any other arrangement has been arrived at.
Reports reaching said that Omar made it clear that special reference was given to Leh seat for ruling alliance did not want any decision in haste that would prove counter productive.
“We have time in our hand for Leh goes to polls on last stage,” Omar, who was flanked by his cabinet minister and senior party leaders Ali Muhammad Sagar and MLA Sakina Itoo, said.
In reply to a query about the government action against those involved in Khaigam incident involving the killing of carpenter allegedly by personnel from 181 Batallion CRPF, the Chief Minister said government would take due action. “What ever has to be done, we will do that,” Omar said, as per a Press Bureau of India correspondent present in the function.
Omar Abdullah, who is also the head of the unified command, announced that no element would be allowed to disrupt the poll process.
“With the melting of snow, there is a likelihood that infiltration bids would be accelerated and we do believe that attempts to disrupt poll process would be made,” he said.
The chief minister said that the government was observing the situation and assured that it will do best to prevent any disturbance.
On revocation of Armed Forces Special Power Action, Omar said that the government would “do away with it.”
“It was invoked by a political party and would be revoked by a political party,” he said.
Commenting on the ‘hate speech’ of Varun Gandhi, a candidate of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for one of Utter Pradesh segments, Omar Abdullah launched the approach of United Progressive Alliance.
“It was extremely unfortunate and should not have happened. UPA stand on this issue has been good,” Omar said.
In response to the construction going on near the Sulaiman hills, Omar said that SMC should be allowed to deal with the issue.
Earlier Omar Abdullah ‘on the command of Farooq Abdullah who due to a minor surgery in his foot could not attend the function’ welcomed several new and old members into the National conference.
Among the new faces that joined the National Conference included Rafiq Khan, an independent candidate in last assembly polls who Omar said polled over 9000 votes in Devsar segment, Abdul Gani Bhat from Bijbihara, Mohammad Ayub Dar and his nephew Imran Ahmad Dar son of the former district president Kulgam.
Omar made a special mention of Imran Dar and said that he would have been party choice from Kulgam had he joined the party during the polls process. Ghulam Qadir Tak and Ghulam Muhammad Bhat were also welcomed again into party by the former president of the party.
Abdullah said that the party's base would be strengthened in South Kashmir as a result of these veteran activists re-entering the party.
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