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| Hectic lobbying by Pandit leaders from NC-Cong for Cabinet berth | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 3: While Government has ruled out that there will be the cabinet expansion and only a minor reshuffle will take place in the last week of this month, there is hectic lobbying among the Kashmiri Pandit leaders from both National Conference (NC) and Congress for getting a Cabinet berth.
Some KP organizations including All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC), Migrant Welfare Association, Udhampur and others have demanded that the community be given the representation in state cabinet as has been a past tradition.
In addition to this the NC MLC and former Chief Secretary, Vijay Bakaya who was assured by Dr Abdullah to be inducted in State Cabinet after he joins NC is also lobbying for his candidature as a community representative. Bakya who has the backing of various KP organizations besides the Minority Cell of the Party which he also heads is optimistic that this time his name will figure as a Cabinet Minister.
However according to sources Congress which has less representation in the council of ministers and as the portfolio of R&B Minister is yet to be filled up after the resignation of GM Saroori as the R&B Minister in impersonation case, the Party is trying to too seek some more berths for it. And in case the Government agrees to give a representation in the State Cabinet to minority Pandits the Congress will try to name its own man for the post to create an impression that Party has an old link with the community.
Sources said the Congress leaders from the community including the Delhi based Ashok Bhan is hectically lobbying in Union Capital for his inclusion in State Cabinet. Bhan according to sources has taken up the issue with Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi through his emissaries. Bhan according to sources has given an impression to the party leadership that by giving a representation to the community in State Cabinet will be highly welcomed by the displaced Pandits.
Another group of Congress leaders at Delhi from the state are however pleading the case of former Minister and senior Congress leader Khem Lata Wakhloo for the ministerial post, sources said, adding these leaders have strongly advocated the her name on the ground that she has an acceptability among both Muslims and Pandit community as the Congress leader despite facing the odds did not migrate from Valley.
However yielding to Congress pressure by surrendering the ministerial berth of Pandits to the Party will create a wedge between NC and Kashmiri Pandits which the Party leadership will not like to afford as after the Sheikh Abdullah led the NC Government in the state in 1977 since then the Party gave a representation to the Community in state Cabinet. Even during the time the Government of GM Shah who ruled state after engineering defection in NC in 1984 June, he also gave a representation to the Community in the Cabinet by inducting Khem Latta Wakhloo as Minister.
So the NC senior leadership is also under constant pressure not to accept the Congress suggestion in this regard, sources said, adding in the event of Government giving representation to the community the NC may try to induct its own Party man for the same. |
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