Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Feb 26: Notwithstanding the agreement reached between the two coalition partners — PDP and BJP during the formation of coalition Government in March 2015, the latter has been given a raw deal by the former.
As per the agreement, out of 25 members of Council of Ministers, PDP was supposed to have 11 Cabinet Ministers with three Ministers of State including Chief Minister, and its coalition partner BJP was given eight Cabinet Ministers and three Ministers of State.
However, in violation of the agreement reached between the two parties, PDP instead of 11 Cabinet Ministers increased its tally of Cabinet Ministers to 12 by inducting Tassaduq Mufti, the son of former Chief Minster, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in Cabinet in December ending last year after axing one MoS belonging to party but the tally of BJP ministers remained static.
According to sources, the two parties in principle during the induction of junior Mufti in the Cabinet had agreed that BJP too can elevate one of its MoS to Cabinet rank but the same could not materialize till date.
Sources said the issue was also taken up by some national level BJP leaders with the PDP leadership and name of the MoS to be elevated to the post was also submitted but the issue is still lingering.
Sources said that not only this but the two parties in AoA had decided to share the posts of heads of various Boards and Corporations on equal – equal basis but in this regard too BJP seems has surrendered its position as the number of VCs belonging to PDP is 12 while that of BJP is only 7.
Sources said the party has made a laughing stock of itself as one of its senior Leaders has been put to an embarrassing situation after furnishing his name in the list for the appointment as Vice Chairman of J&K Police Housing Corporation, on March 10 last year along with other eight members of the Party to head different Corporations in the State.
However, after some objections were raised by the Police Department that it will be against the precedence if a civilian will head the Corporation, he was promised to be appointed head of any other Corporation, which is lying vacant.
But during the last one year, the coalition partners failed to sort out the issue by nominating him the head of any other Corporation in the State with the result the BJP leader who has been loyal to the party and its active member for over last three decades has become a laughing stock among the people.
Nineteen posts of VCs of various Corporations have been filled up till date during last one year and as per the initial nomination made on March 10 last year the two parties nominated 16 VCs eight belonging to each. All the rest have joined as the heads of their respective Corporations barring one Virenderjeet Singh, a senior leader of BJP who is its active member for over last three decades when minorities especially considered it an untouchable party.
But Singh remained loyal to the Party during those days when it had only one member in State Legislature.
As per the understanding, the PDP and BJP had to share 50-50 posts of the VCs and heads of Boards. But the tally of PDP VCs out of 19 is presently 12 while the number of BJP is only seven.
Sources said PDP since then managed to make Bari Andrabi as VC of Cable Car Corporation and in January this year it also managed the nomination of two more VCs Muntazir Mohi-ud-Din in Handloom and Ali Mohammed Wani in Handicrafts Corporation but remained mum on the appointment of Singh.
The issue was taken up by the BJP leader with senior leaders of the Party including the Union Minister and it also figured in Core Committee and other meetings of the Party, sources added.
Even the issue was taken up with the Party national general secretary, incharge J&K, Ram Madhav and party’s national vice president, Avinash Rai Khanna during his recent visits and some partymen are openly questioning why there has been such delay and why BJP is maintaining a stoic silence over the issue.
Sources said that the BJP leadership has also taken up the issue with PDP leaders and it also figured into PDP-BJP Coordination Committee meeting and BJP was given the assurance that the order of the appointment will be issued in favour of Singh very soon.
During the recent Coordination Committee meeting of BJP and RSS, the issue also came to fore and some Sangh leaders also showed their displeasure over the delay in issuing the order in favour of the BJP leader. The Sangh leadership in the meeting had urged the BJP leadership to take up the issue with coalition partner and get the matter sorted out.
The PDP, according to sources, is delaying the appointment as the differences erupted between the two coalition partners after the election of BJP member as MLC last year, the seat which PDP says in principle, and as per the understanding between two coalition partners, belonged to it.
To avenge that the PDP leadership is delaying the appointment of Singh as well as induction of other BJP leaders’ as VCs of other Corporations on the 50:50 basis formula, sources added.
This is the reason that for last one year the PDP managed to induct its three leaders as VCs of three more Corporations while it did not pay any heed to BJP’s demand.
However, when contacted BJP State president, Sat Sharma said that Party is seized of the issue and it has forcefully taken up it with the coalition partner. He said that within some days the appointment order will be issued in this regard by the Government. It may be recalled that earlier too the BJP leadership had said that the order of Singh’s appointment as VC will be issued soon which, however, was not issued.
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