PC disowns Baig, may withdraw support to Safina

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 29 : Peoples Conference (PC) today disowned former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, and is likely to withdraw support from his wife, Safina Baig who is Chairperson District Development Council Baramulla.
PC General Secretary Imran Reza Ansari today said that senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Baig never joined the Peoples Conference and was not a member of the party.
Ansari said that Baig is not a member of the party, there may be some confusion but he never joined the party.
He said that though Sajad Lone visited Baig’s residence, but he went only after being sure and convinced that Baig wanted him to visit his residence and was looking forward to welcome him. “Politics was discussed there and he was very thankful to PC for getting Safina Ji elected as DDC chairperson,” he said.
He said that PC helped Safina to become the DDC Chairperson. “We were the single largest party in Baramulla with 3 members while no other party had more than 2 members. Even though we had aspirations within our camp for the post of the chairmanship, but she came to me and requested me that we support her. We gave her unconditional support even as she was a single member. How could she have become the Chairperson? We felt she deserved a chance and was a good candidate,” he said,
On being asked if Baig is not a member of the party, why he accompanied Sajad Lone to participate in All-Party Meeting, he said Baig expressed a desire to go to the meeting with Sajad and requested if Sajad can take him along to the meeting.
“But at no point did we have any remotest idea about what he is going to speak inside and neither did he had any idea about what we were going to speak inside.”
Ansari said that Baig himself has made it clear that he doesn’t belong to any party. “We share a personal relationship with them. But we have nothing in common with them politically. Nothing at all,” he said.
Another PC leader said that Baig’s statements had become an embarassment for the party and even at APM with PM, he was interrupting those leaders who raised the issue of Article 370.
After distancing itself from Muzaffar Hussain Baig, the PC is likely to withdraw support to his wife Safina Baig, who is chairperson DDC, Baramulla.
The PC leader said that efforts are on to oust Safina as Chairperson of DDC Baramulla.
“We will consult our DDC members to discuss future strategy. A final call on the matter will be taken by the senior leaders,” he said.
He added the party’s district leaders have conveyed to the top leadership that continuing support to Safina would be a political blunder.
Safina, who fought DDC election as an Independent candidate, managed to become chairperson of DDC Baramulla with support of Peoples Conference, Apni Party and cross-voting by members of Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in her favour.
In the 14-member Council, PC has three members, National Conference, Apni Party, Congress and People’s Democratic Party have two members each and three are Independents.