Rebels undeterred, say many MLAs with them
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 23: In a major political development which comes close on the heels of open revolt by some legislators against the party leadership including PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the party tonight said its all office bearers have resigned from their posts to facilitate reconstitution of the party and bring in some new faces.
Though PDP chief spokesman Rafi Mir told the Excelsior that the resignations by all office bearers have nothing to do with rebellion in the party, reliable sources admitted that the PDP would try to give space to some former Ministers and legislators in the State unit to tide over the crisis and win over some of the dissidents.
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“All office bearers of PDP’s State unit including vice presidents, general secretaries, secretaries, treasurer etc have submitted their resignations to the party president to give her free hand to revamp the party to make it a force to reckon with in all three regions of the State,” Mir said, adding the resignations would pave way for reconstitution of the party’s State unit.
He added that since there was no Government in the State now, the senior party leaders, who were Ministers in the previous coalition Government, could also be accommodated in the party to rejuvenate it. However, he said, Mehbooba will have a free hand to reorganize the party.
Sources, however, said that not only the PDP’s State unit but even the powerful Political Affairs Committee (PAC), youth wing and some affiliate units could also be re-constituted with a view to strengthen the party.
Notwithstanding Rafi Mir’s assertion that the resignations by all party office bearers have nothing to do with revolt by some party legislators, sources admitted that the PDP president and her trusted lieutenants were making all out efforts to keep number of the rebels to minimum.
“The reorganization of the PDP’s State unit and some other party wings was aimed at winning over some of the former Ministers, legislators and others, who could join the rebels,” sources said.
They pointed out that veteran PDP leader and lone Lok Sabha member of the party, Muzaffar Hussain Baig could be offered important role in the party though he didn’t attend yesterday’s Political Affairs Committee meeting of the party in Srinagar despite being a member of the body.
PDP vice president and Mehbooba’s maternal uncle Sartaj Madni, who was among the targets of rebels, was the first to resign from the party post this morning.
“I’ve resigned from the post of PDP vice president in the interest of the party,” Madni told the Excelsior after submitting his resignation to Mehbooba Mufti.
He said if something good happens in the party with his resignation he would welcome it. However, Madni refused to respond to further questions as to whether it would assuage feelings of the party rebels.
The resignation comes three weeks after several PDP MLAs, including senior leader Imran Ansari and his uncle Abid Ansari, accused Mehbooba of nepotism and questioned her decision to surround herself with her relatives and friends in the party.
“I have submitted my resignation to Mehbooba Mufti (PDP president),” Madni said, adding he has resigned from the post in the larger interests of the PDP, including its stability and unity.
However, Madni’s resignation failed to assuage the rebels with PDP MLA from Noorabad Abdul Majeed Paddar, former Minister terming it (the resignation) as “mere drama”.
“Taking such steps after damaging the party’s unity won’t cause damage control,” Paddar told a news agency.
He said the situation could have been different in case the party president (Mehbooba Mufti) had taken such decision herself prior to the damage of party’s unity.
“The dramas won’t deter us now. Such a decision should have come from the party president and that too much earlier. Now, their steps will not work,” Paddar said.
About his recent claims of support of 51 MLAs, Paddar quipped: “you have to wait a bit more. We will come up with even more MLAs and not only 51 to form the Government”.
Paddar was among six PDP legislators, who have openly revolted against the PDP leadership charging Mehbooba Mufti with promoting “family culture” in the party and Government by inducting her brother (Tassaduq Mufti) as Cabinet Minister and imposing uncles and other family members in the Government as well as the organization.
The rebel MLAs included Imran Raza Ansari, former Cabinet Minister, Abid Ansari, Mohammad Abbas, Javed Beigh and Abdul Majeed Paddar, all MLAs besides Yasir Reshi, MLC.
There were reports that these and some other PDP MLAs were in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command for formation of new Government in the State after culmination of Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage.
PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had recently charged that New Delhi was using the National Investigating Agency (NIA) besides offering money and Ministerial berths to break the PDP for formation of next Government in the State.
Earlier, she had warned that breaking her party would have dangerous repercussions like 1987 and that more Salahudins and Maliks could be born.
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