news details |
|
|
| Conflict continues despite cabinet expansion | | | As far as the Congress is concerned induction of R.S.Chib in the cabinet,that was expanded on Saturday,is the only surprise.Even in the reframed list the name of R.S.Chib did not exist.It was the last minute decision that was conveyed to Chief Minister,Omar Abdullah,and the PCC President,Saif-ud-Din Soz by the AICC general secretary Prithivi Raj Chavan,who flew to Srinagar to witness the cabinet expansion ceremony.If one asks the supporters of Ghulam Nabi Azad as to who backed Chib they would say the union Health Minister.But those supporting the PCC President say that Soz had been instrumental in getting Chib inducted in the cabinet.Whosoever was responsible for it Azad's suggestion that only those congressmen who have been elected to the Assembly be inducted in the cabinet could not be honoured because Chib is a member of the Legislative Council.Saturday's cabinet expansion has further lent credence to the reports that the ruling coalition is plagued by internal conflicts.The Union Health Minister,Ghulam Nabi Azad's absence seems to meaningful.After all he has more time to dabble in the political affairs in Jammu and Kashmir than in the activities of the Health Ministry.He did not wish to make it to Srinagar on Saturday because he had felt slighted over the way his suggestion of inducting G.M.Saroori and Abdul Majid Wani in the cabinet was not conceded.Only Saroori found place in the cabinet.Soz had right from day one opposed inclusion of two legislators from Doda district and his plea had been accepted by the Congress high command.Azad had tried to sabotage the induction of Raman Bhalla in the cabinet.It was again Soz who pleaded the case of Bhalla before the Congress leadership in Delhi.When Mufti Mohd.Sayeed expanded the cabinet in 2003-04 he had inducted Raman Bhalla as Minister of State for consumer Affairs.But when Azad replaced the Mufti Raman Bhalla was the first senior party leader to have been dropped.Indications are that even after the cabinet expansion combinations may keep on changing.This time it is Azad-Farooq Abdullah tie-up against Soz-Omar Abdullah nexus.The result is that legislators belonging to the Congress and the National Conference keep on shifting their loyalities from one group to the other.Yesterday's cabinet expansion clearly reveals that Omar and Soz have had their choice.Number of loyalists of Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad have not been given berth in the cabinet.This is substantiated by the noninclusion of Ch.Mohd.Aslam,Ch.Mohd.Ramzan,Mustafa Kamal,Abdul Majid Wani in the cabinet.Instead Nasir Aslam Wani and Javed Dar find the place in the ministry from the National Conference side.If the majority of districts are unrepresented Omar cannot be faulted because under the state constitution he cannot have more than 25 members in the council of ministers.Well he has scope for assuaging the ruffled feeling of senior legislators by appointing tham heads of corporations and Boards.As is part of the coalition culture the inner contradictions and the clash of ego among coalition leaders have not ended with yesterday's cabinet expansion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
