Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 17: Ongoing “protocol war” within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has flared up instead of diminishing with Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta summoning top officers of the civil administration including Chief Secretary BB Vyas on November 20 to “brief” him on the Rules and Regulations under which he was made junior to his party colleague and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh even as reports suggested that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also taken note of J&K Government’s “new proposed protocol” under which the Union Ministers of States have been made juniors from the Deputy CM.
Sources told the Excelsior that immediately after his return from abroad, the Legislative Assembly Speaker has called the Chief Secretary, Commissioner/ Secretary, General Administ-ration Department (GAD) Khurshid Ahmad Bhat and other concerned officers for a meeting on November 20 to know how and when the protocol was “tampered with” to make him junior from the Deputy Chief Minister and the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
While the Speaker was not available for comments, sources said he has checked protocol in all States of the country and everywhere the Speaker figured above the Deputy Chief Minister. Therefore, they said, the proposed protocol is not acceptable to Kavinder Gupta and he was likely to ask top officers of the administration to stop its implementation.
In the new protocol proposed by a Cabinet Sub Committee, the Deputy Chief Minister has been kept at No. 3 in the State hierarchy behind the Governor and the Chief Minister followed by the Chief Justice of State High Court. The Speaker and the Legislative Council Chairman figured at No. 4 and 5. In the existing protocol, the Speaker comes at No. 3 after the Governor and the Chief Minister.
Sources said the Speaker was likely to convey his “displeasure” to the top civil administration officials over proposed “tampering with protocol” and could ask them to stop implementation of new protocol system.
At the same time, sources said, the MHA has also taken note of the “new protocol” proposed by the State Government, which would make all Union Ministers of State, including those enjoying Independent Charge, junior to the Deputy Chief Minister as it felt that this could lead to problems when the Union Ministers of State would visit Jammu and Kashmir for reviewing of working of their Ministries.
However, a section of BJP Ministers, legislators and senior leaders have justified new protocol on the ground that the BJP has taken post of the Deputy Chief Minister from the PDP for being equal partner in the coalition Government and, therefore, it was necessary that the Deputy CM is kept next to the Chief Minister in protocol. They were of the view that there was no fun of taking post of the Deputy Chief Minister for the BJP if he has to be treated just like any other Cabinet Minister. But, there was another section in the party, which felt that adopting J&K’s own protocol would send a message in the country that BJP was strengthening Article 370, which, it otherwise, wants to abrogate or dilute.
A Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) comprising Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, Industries and Commerce Minister Chander Prakash Ganga, Law and Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan and Horticulture Minister Basharat Bukhari had drafted new protocol and submitted it for approval of the Cabinet, headed by the Chief Minister.
Excelsior had exclusively leaked the new protocol, which led to an “open war” in the BJP with Speaker Kavinder Gupta boycotting the District Development Board (DDB) Jammu meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh after his name had figured below the Deputy Chief Minister at a plaque installed by the Jammu Development Authority.
Worthwhile to mention here that both Dr Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta are senior leaders of the BJP.
Official sources were, however, of the view that the protocol adopted by the Cabinet Sub Committee was prevalent at Punjab and Kerala and, therefore, it can’t be said that it was rare.
However, according to sources, the proposed protocol has led to an “open war” in the BJP, which is not confined internally but has come out in the open much to the embarrassment of the BJP, which was once known as a disciplined party and a “party with a difference”.
Follow our WhatsApp channel