The Hindu : J&K Ministry expanded, Independents get lion's share

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 15, 2003

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

J&K Ministry expanded, Independents get lion's share

By Shujaat Bukhari

Suman Bhagat of the Congress, talking to the senior party leader, Gulam Nabi Azad, on Tuesday. Ms. Bhagat, who was not inducted into the Cabinet, walked out from the swearing-in ceremony. — Photo: Sandeep Saxena

JAMMU JAN. 14. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today effected the long-awaited expansion of his Ministry by inducting 19 new Ministers. The Governor, Girish Chandra Saxena, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the Ministers at the sprawling Jammu Raj Bhavan.

The Mufti has attempted to accommodate every section, but many prominent aspirants have been left out with women and Sikhs getting no representation.

The happiest lot should be the Independents who seem to have got a major share as their support is considered crucial for the coalition government. Hakim Mohammad Yasin and Mohiuddin Sofi , who belong to the People's Democratic Front, lead by the CPI(M) MLA, M.Y. Tarigami, have been inducted as Cabinet Ministers.

Independents Raman Mattoo, Abdul Majid Wani Puran Singh and Aijaz Khan have been inducted as Ministers of State. Ladakh region has again emerged victorious by getting two Cabinet berths.

Observers believe that this may make the Mufti Government unpopular as the share in the governance will be disproportionate in case of Ladakh since the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) chairman was granted Cabinet status recently and the Kargil district will get one by June this year.The Congress has again tried to satisfy the several aspirants it had, with Mohammad Sharief Niaz, Madan Lal and Taj Mohiuddin getting Cabinet berths. But hot contenders, Raman Bhalla and Mohammad Shafi Bhat, have not got berths.

The PDP, however, would not have much problem as all important MLAs have got berths. Qazi Afzal, the man who defeated the National Conference president, Omar Abdullah, has been rewarded with a Cabinet rank.

Senior PDP leader, Abdul Aziz Zargar, has also been "gifted" with the important Ministry of Agriculture.

The Panther's Party has got an extra berth. Though most of the regions have been given representation, Rajouri-Poonch has little to cheer with only one Minister of State.

Not a single Muslim has been inducted from these two Muslim-dominated districts.

History has been created with no representation to the capital city of Srinagar though the NC rebel, Mohammad Shafi Bhat, who won from Amira Kadal as Congress candidate, was seen as the probable choice.

Jammu City has also been ignored. Raman Bhalla and Yogesh Sawhney, frontrunners for getting berths, stand disappointed.

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J&K Ministry expanded, Independents get lion's share