PDP may take action against Reshi
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 10: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti got another shot in the arm as nine more legislators including five MLAs and four MLCs and two Members of Parliament (MPs), apart from some other senior leaders, called on her at her residence in Srinagar today and extended their full support to her even as the party reportedly planned to initiate action against MLC Yasir Reshi under Anti-Defection Law seeking his disqualification from the Legislative Council.
PDP insiders told the Excelsior that with today’s individual meetings, Mehbooba now has the support of nearly 20 out of total 28 MLAs of the party and was comfortably placed, contrary to the reports that large number of her party MLAs could defect and form breakaway group to form Government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Five MLAs, who met Mehbooba to extend their support to her included Javaid Mustafa Mir, Abdul Haq Khan, Abdul Majeed Paddar, Shah Mohammad Tantray and Abdul Rahim Rather. First three are former Ministers. Significantly, Haq Khan was dropped as the Rural Development Minister in April this year during rejig of the Council of Ministry.
Fayaz Mir and Nazir Laway, the only two Rajya Sabha members of the PDP also called on the party president to convey their full support to her at the critical juncture when some party legislators have raised banner of revolt against the party leadership.
The MLCs and other senior leaders, who called on Mehbooba, included Zaffar Manhas, Firdous Tak, Surinder Choudhary and Khurshid Alam, all members of Legislative Council, Abdul Gaffar Sofi and Javaid Mirchal.
However, according to the insiders, PDP MLC Saif-ud-Din Butt was called to meet Mehbooba but he didn’t turn up.
Sources said besides extending their support to Mehbooba, the PDP leaders who met her, called for initiating action against the party rebels including MLC Yasir Reshi.
They indicated that since the Council Chairman Haji Inayat Ali is a PDP leader, he could disqualify Reshi if the party moves a petition before him under the Anti-Defection Law. However, the PDP was in no mood to take similar action against the rebel MLAs as it was of the view that Legislative Assembly Speaker Dr Nirmal Singh, who belongs to the BJP, might not oblige the PDP.
Moreover, they said, the PDP wants to give the MLAs a chance to return to the party fold and would wait for sometime before moving to the Speaker for initiating action against them under the Anti-Defection Law.
At the very outset, the PDP was likely to start with action against Yasir Reshi to send a warning to rebel MLAs, sources pointed out.
It may be mentioned here that Imran Raza Ansari, MLA Pattan (Baramulla), Abid Ansari, MLA Zadibal (Srinagar), Mohammad Abbas, MLA Tangmarg (Baramulla) and Javeid Beig, MLA Baramulla have openly revolted against the party leadership, apart from party MLC Yasir Reshi. Another PDP MLA Choudhary Qamar, who represents Rajouri, had also spoken against the party leadership and hasn’t met Mehbooba so far.
A couple of days back more than a dozen party MLAs had met Mehbooba Mufti at her residence after her return from New Delhi.
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