Sajjad Lone cut to size by Mufti with insignificant Ministry; Imran too ‘upset’

https://www.authintmail.com/2015/kashmir/portfolios-mufti-corners-sajjad-lone-insignificant-ministry-upsets-imran-too-184511

·         PDP gets Home, Planning, Tourism, Finance, Education, Agriculture, Horticulture, Rural Development, Law, CAPD

·         BJP gets Power, Housing & Urban Development, Health & Medical Education, Social Welfare, Forest, PHE

 

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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JAMMU---Cut to size with allocation of the most inferior portfolio of  Science & Technology and Animal Husbandry, Peoples Conference chairman and BJP’s ally in Kashmir, Sajjad Gani Lone is understood to be “under tremendous pressure” from his supporters to quit Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s Cabinet even as the lone representative of Shia community Imran Raza Ansari is also reportedly upset over an ‘inferior’ portfolio given to him. It was after three days of impasse and hectic political activity that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed resolved the crisis on distribution of portfolios between the Ministers of his Peoples Democratic Party and the coalition partner Bhartiya Janata Party on Tuesday.

Informed sources revealed to Authint Mail that Sajjad’s followers mounted considerable pressure on the PC Chairman, asking him not to tolerate the “humiliation” meted out to him. “He should quit as the Ministry given to him is an insult not only to the people of Kupwara but also to Prime Minister Modi. We know that we would not get a fair deal”, said a senior PC leader who revealed that Sajjad was in a meeting with his party colleagues over the issue till late on Tuesday night. He could not be reached for his reaction to reports that he was “disappointed” with the portfolio allocation. “He has not come by parachute from the sky. Those who came have been showered with bunch of key portfolios” said an advocate owing allegiance to PC.

Sources said that even the Shia leader and son of veteran cleric-politician Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari was tightlipped over the three “inferior” portfolios---Information Technology, Technical Education, Youth Services & Sports---assigned to him. His supporters pointed out that the PDP had won five segments in the valley because of Ansari’s appeal.

“Distribution of portfolios is prerogative of only the Chief Minister. BJP side has been duly taken on board before General Administration Department issued the order”, said a senior PDP leader and Minister in Mufti’s Cabinet. He argued that the first time legislators could not claim much as they could be “upgraded” in future on the basis of their performance. He refused to accept that the portfolios given to the two reportedly disappointed Ministers were “inferior” by any evaluation.

Mufti himself retained Home, Planning and Tourism besides over a dozen other portfolios. He assigned the important portfolios of Finance, Revenue, Agriculture, Horticulture, Public Works, Rural Development, Education and Law to his PDP colleagues.

PDP’s Abdul Rehman Veeri got Horticulture and Haj & Auqaf, Javaid Mustafa Mir Revenue, Abdul Haq Khan Rural Development, Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs and Relief and Rehabilitation,  Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution and Tribal Affairs, Haseeb DrabuFinance, Labour & Employment and Culture, Ghulam Nabi Lone Agriculture Production, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari Public Works, Floriculture and Parks, Imran Raza Ansari Information Technology, Technical Education and Youth Services and Sports and Naeem Akhter Education.

Among the PDP’s Ministers of State, Abdul Majid Padder got Public Health Engineering, Irrigation & Flood Control, Animal Husbandry and Forest, Mohammad Ashraf Mir Industries and Commerce, Power Development and Housing& Urban Development and Asiea Naqash Health, Social Welfare and Transport.

From the BJP side, Power Development and Housing & Urban Development departments were assigned to Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh. Chander Parkash got Industries and Commerce, Lal Singh Health & Medical Education and ARI & Trainings, Bali Bhagat Social Welfare, Forest, Ecology and Environment, Sukhnandan Kumar Public Health Engineering while as the BJP’s associate Sajad Gani Lone was given Science & Technology and Animal Husbandry.

Among the BJP’s Ministers of State, Chering Dorjay got Ladakh Affairs besides independent charge of Cooperative. Abdul Gani Kohli got Transport Rural Development and Horticulture and independent charge of Transport. Sunil Kumar Sharma was appointed MoS of Public Works (R&B) and Revenue, Priya Sethi MoS Information, Education and Culture and BJP’s associate Pawan Kumar Gupta as MoS of Finance and Information Technology.

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