Guru resolution tangents: BJP’s cross-voting, Cong’s sex scam

Speaker clashes with Mehbooba, names BJP’s “whip violators”, asks Assembly to wait for HC verdict

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 29: On the third consecutive day of disruption of Business in Legislative Assembly today, ruling Congress party persisted with the tangential issue of the disqualification of certain BJP MLAs even as Speaker maintained that the matter was sub judice and he was barred to take any decision. BJP, on the other hand, launched a counter-offensive while shouting slogans and urging Speaker to also read out names of the Congress legislators who were allegedly involved in the infamous Srinagar Sex Scandal of 2006.

Even after scuttling the hyper-sensitive resolution on Afzal Guru’s mercy with raking up tangential issues in Assembly and engaging the rival BJP in a clash, MLAs and Ministers of the coalition partner did not relent on Thursday. Like yesterday, entire Congress camp greeted Speaker’s arrival with hullabaloo over attendance of the BJP MLAs who had been expelled or suspended by their party over allegedly violating the whip during election for some seats of Legislative Council in April this year.

Acting like an aggressive opposition party, Congress members refused to digest Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone’s repeatedly made argument that the matter was under consideration of J&K High Court. Yet again, Speaker made it clear that he was barred by the status quo order issued by High Court on the petition of some members. The agitating Congress MLAs, throwing the coalition decorum to winds, pressed hard that Speaker could at least read out the names of the MLAs who had been expelled or suspended and thus were accused of violating the party whip. If established, such kind of a violation would lead to disqualification of the accused members under anti-defection law.

As members of the Congress camp, like yesterday, walked into well while shouting anti-BJP slogans and demanding dismissal of the accused MLAs, all eleven BJP members of two factions united to launch counter-offensive. They raised slogans against the Congress and urged Speaker to also read out the names of the MLAs and Ministers of the Congress party who were involved in Srinagar Sex Scandal of 2006. Dy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Minister of School Education Pirzada Sayeed and MLA Dooru, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, appeared to be BJP’s key targets.

As soon as PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and her MLAs joined the ruckus with the complaint that Congress and BJP were “enacting a drama and wasting the precious time of the House”, Speaker diverted to them. He asked Mehbooba and others of her party to take their seats. Soon, the exchange turned hot as Mehbooba began casting aspersions on the chair and Speaker began shouting back on her. “Please sit down. Don’t resort to cheap politics”, Speaker grumbled.

With counter-shouting from Mehbooba, Speaker directed her to shut up and stop her “cheap politics”. He taunted her and others of PDP with being silent all through the proceedings on Wednesday, while suggesting that Ms Mufti’s party had, with its silence, facilitated Congress party’s plan of failing the resolution on Guru. “Look into yourselves. You all are tainted within”, Speaker shouted on the Leader of Opposition. That added fuel to the fire, intensifying the pandemonium and forcing Speaker to announce adjournment for 30 minutes.

When the Business resumed at 10.28 a.m. and Speaker called for replies to questions for remaining two minutes, PDP’s MLA and Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni took exception to some of Speaker’s remarks shot on Mehbooba in the first sitting. He and his senior colleague Maulvi Iftikhar Ansari insisted that these were “objectionable and unparliamentary remarks” and they pressed hard for Speaker’s apology to the PDP chief.

Speaker contested and asserted that his remarks were directed “on all of us who should look into our within”. He made it emphatically clear that he had neither made any objectionable remarks against Mehbooba nor would he ever apologise. “If anybody still feels that I have made any objectionable remark, I expunge the same”, Speaker said but not to PDP’s satisfaction.

Thereupon, Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar, defused the crises. He got up to pacify Dy Speaker and apologized to Mehbooba on behalf of Speaker.

Notwithstanding a thaw in the ruckus, Minister of Irrigation & PHE, Taj Mohiuddin, got up to defend his party colleagues and justify their demand. He asserted that there was nothing wrong in revealing the names of the MLAs BJP had either expelled or suspended on account of cross-voting. Finally after a great deal of arguments and counter-arguments, Speaker Akbar Lone disclosed, for the first time in House, that BJP’s national leadership had written to him that Leader of the party in Assembly Prof Chaman Lal Gupta had been expelled from primary membership of the party for six years.

Speaker further revealed that, according to the letter written to him, six more MLAs of the party had been placed under suspension, pending party’s investigation into their role in the alleged cross-voting in violation of the whip issued. He sought to make it clear that it was “not so easy” to ascertain whether or not these MLAs had violated the whip as the voting had happened by secret ballot. He advised members to wait for the verdict of the High Court.

Names of the BJP MLA suspended by the party, as read out by Speaker, included Jagdish Raj Sapolia, Baldev Raj Sharma, Durga Dass, Master Lal Chand, Garu Ram and Bharat Bhushan.

Thereafter, proceedings of the day went on smoothly till the House was closed down on time at 1.30 p.m.

END

Coalition wins country, loses Valley

Cong, NC enact drama to fail Guru resolution; Ministers join ruckus; Speaker calls it ‘fish market, adjourns Assembly

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 28: In what appeared to be a shabbily scripted political drama, the ruling coalition of Congress and National Conference (NC) today defeated the independent MLA, Engineer Rashid’s resolution seeking clemency to the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, in Legislative Assembly. After the Congress and BJP repeatedly turned the House into a ‘fish market’ and others---NC, PDP, CPM and NPP---watched the ruckus like mute spectators, Speaker adjourned the proceedings for a day.

Histrionics marked the very beginning of the day’s proceedings as all the MLAs and almost all the Ministers of Congress party got up at the Speaker’s arrival at 9.30 a.m. and began shouting high-pitch slogans. Without any reason and provocation, they kept yelling for dismissal of the BJP MLAs who had been suspended by their own party over charges of indulging in cross-voting in election for some seats of Legislative Council in April this year.

Even as the entire Congress camp, that included Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and seven other Ministers, kept standing in support of the demand of dismissal under anti-defection law, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone persisted with his averment that the matter was under the consideration of J&K High Court. He made it repeatedly clear that he could not take a decision as long as the matter was sub judice.

On the other hand, members of both factions of the BJP united to repulse the Congress offensive. They too raised counter-slogans and called Congress a party of ‘thieves and corrupt politicians’. Thereupon, a number of MLAs from both sides walked into the well. Intriguingly, neither Chief Minister nor Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar, made any attempt to silence the agitating members.

For nearly 12 minutes, Speaker made passionate appeals to the standing Ministers to pacify their agitating colleague and let the proceedings of Question Hour start. However, his words of concern fell on deaf ears in the din. “This is utterly shameful, not expected from the Treasury Benches”, Speaker snubbed Dy CM and other Ministers.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as well as all the Ministers of his NC chose to be statues--- a few of them even threw smiles and did not hide getting entertained by the drama. When his sustained efforts, including warnings, failed to restore order, Speaker adjourned the proceedings for half-an-hour.

As soon as Speaker resumed the business at 10.24 a.m. BJP MLAs triggered off round two of the pandemonium. Some of them shouted that resolution on Afzal Guru, which was scheduled as the last item of today’s business, could not be taken up for a discussion in J&K Assembly. Speaker Lone chipped in promptly: “Anything under the sky can be discussed in this House. Heavens won’t fall”. For a while, some of the opposition PDP MLAs too got up collectively to assert that resolution on Guru was neither illegal nor unconstitutional.

Yet again, almost all of the ruling Congress MLAs, including Ministers, and those from both factions of the opposition BJP, headed towards the well and indulged in sloganeering and counter-sloganeering. Congress MLAs Wiqar Rasool and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori led the ruckus in the well and began shouting over shoulders and Secretary Assembly’s table. Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand besides Ministers R S Chib, Pirzada Mohammad Sayeed, Taj Mohiuddin, Sham Lal Sharma, Rigzin Jora and Dr Manohar Lal kept standing on their seats in support of their party MLAs.

Speaker kept on issuing warnings but on no point of time did he resort to his trademark USP of calling the marshals. “You people are undermining the sanctity of this House. Please take your seats and let the Business start”, he grumbled, repeatedly. When nobody responded positively, Speaker announced yet another adjournment---this time for one hour.

Denouement

Third, and the last, round of the sitting began at 12.07 p.m. with identical disorder. Congress MLAs, led by Saroori and Wiqar, maintained shouting that the BJP MLAs, according to them delinquent of cross-voting, had “no right to be in this House”. Amid intense sloganeering and counter-sloganeering between Congress and BJP, almost all of Congress party’s Ministers joined the demand of dismissal of the BJP’s “defectors”.

According to Saroori, Speaker had assured Congress MLAs during the interval that he would read out the names of the BJP MLAs facing charges of violating the anti-defection law. He shouted that Speaker should produce the list in the House. “This is not proper. This is not fair. You people are violating the sanctity of this House. Please go back to your seats”, Speaker warned but all in vain. Unruly MLAs instead occupied the well, forced the Assembly Secretariat staff to vacate and continued shouting and sloganeering. Wiqar Rasool and some others perched on shoulders and tables in front of Speaker---something unprecedented in Akbar Lone’s 33-month-long tenure.

On one point of time, Speaker warned BJP MLAs to walk out “before I call marshals to take you guys out”. However, he did not resort to extreme action. Even when everybody was expecting Speaker to assert against the unruly Congress MLAs playing the ruckus on tables in the well, he did not call the marshals for action.

Amid this pandemonium, MLA Engineer Rashid too jumped into the well, shouting loudly that the Congress and the BJP members “with silent support of NC and PDP” were staging this drama only with the purpose of wasting time and thus preventing his resolution from coming up for discussion. He had a heated argument with Minister of Health and Horticulture, Sham Lal Sharma, and also ran amuck while smashing fan-stands on the floor. With that, Speaker at 12.07 p.m. announced third adjournment of the day till tomorrow.

Er Rashid

Speaking to media after the adjournment, Engineer Rashid alleged that all the mainstream political party, including the ruling NC and the opposition PDP, had joined hands to fail his resolution on Guru “on the call of their masters in New Delhi”.

“It was a completely stage-managed show. Congress had no special reason today to clash with BJP. Had the BJP stood away for a while, Congress would have no second hand to clap. Had the PDP asserted, Business would have operated and the resolution (on Guru) would have been discussed”, Rashid complained. He pointed out that neither the Chief Minister “who was so much enthusiastic over Guru in his Tweets last month” nor his Minister of Parliamentary Affairs had made even a feeble attempt to maintain order in the House.

“They all stand exposed today before the people of Kashmir. This is all hypocrisy, not politics”, Rashid observed and expressed apprehension that a whole new generation could now lose faith in the efficacy, credibility and neutrality of the state’s democratic institutions. “This system of interventions through remote control from Delhi has to end”, he added.

Omar Abdullah

Chief Minister’s observation to media was that J&K had today become victim of the country’s national politics. He did not make it clear whether NC would have voted in favour of or against the resolution.

Mehbooba Mufti

PDP President and Leader of the Opposition, Mehbooba Mufti, held NC responsible for sabotaging the resolution on Guru. She too referred to Omar Abdullah’s Tweets on Guru and asserted that contradictions were characteristics of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s party from its inception. When it was pointed out to her by mediapersons that PDP had watched entire pandemonium like mute spectators on the floor, she argued that raising a voice would have facilitated NC, as well as Speaker, to make PDP  a scapegoat and charge it with disrupting the resolution.

“It was a fixed match since last night”, Mehbooba said, suggesting failure of the resolution under intervention from New Delhi.

END

Not a single mass grave, no system of marking graves in J&K: Omar

PDP stages walk-out after Speaker rejected its adjournment motion on ‘mass graves’, missing persons

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 27: Even as the principal opposition party, PDP, today staged a walk-out over Speaker’s rejection of its adjournment motion on the issue of ‘unmarked and mass graves’ in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asserted in Legislative Assembly that there was not a single mass grave in the state. He admitted that hundreds of unidentified persons, including large number of militants from as many as 12 foreign countries, were buried in community cemeteries but made it strongly clear that there was neither a system of marking all tombs nor any available means of ascertaining the identities of the individuals buried in the last 22 years of insurgency.

First very day of the regular business of the autumn session in Assembly witnessed low voltage clashes between members of the opposition PDP and the ruling NC over the issue of ‘unmarked and mass graves’ that has been animated with some recent deliberations of J&K State Human Rights Commission (SHRC). Even as NC’s Mir Saifullah had moved a resolution on the subject and it had been admitted for a discussion, 14 MLAs from PDP filed an adjournment motion on the same subject.  With the beginning of the Question Hour today, all of PDP’s MLAs, including Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and President Mehbooba Mufti, got up to press their motion. They urged Speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone, to adjourn Assembly’s routine business fully and initiate a discussion on their motion.

With punctuations of verbal clashes between certain MLAs of the rival camps, including heated debates on rules and interventions from at least two Ministers, Speaker maintained for about an hour that he was “barred by rules” and thus could not entertain two separate resolutions or motions on one particular subject. Speaker’s contention was strongly supported by Minister of Law & Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar, and Minister of Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, with a barrage of references to the Rules of Business. On the contrary, PDP’s legal luminaries, including eminent lawyer and former Law Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Nizam-ud-din Bhat, made counter arguments. They insisted that their motion transcended the body of NC’s resolution and thus necessitated a “more comprehensive discussion” on the subject.

When exactly at the end of the fully spoiled Question Hour, some of the PDP MLAs pressed for “either admission or rejection” of their motion, Speaker promptly declared that the motion stood rejected. With that, all of the PDP MLAs, excluding Dy Speaker Sartaj Madni, staged a walk-out to register their protest. They did not return to the House for rest of the day even as Speaker later initiated a full-length discussion on the NC MLA’s resolution on the same subject.

Arguably in one of his most impressive parliamentary speeches, Chief Minister asserted that “the hoax of unmarked and mass graves” had been created by separatist as well as mainstream politicians, human rights activists and media to sustain themselves in the political conflict called Kashmir. He complained that various actors in the conflict were “selling missing persons, unmarked and mass graves to the world” for their vested interest. He said he was utterly surprised how leaders like his own NC’s Kafeel-ur-Rehman were complaining of mass graves and defaming the state with “a sustained campaign of misinformation and disinformation”.

“Rather than hunting with the hounds, he (NC’s MLA) should provide information to SHRC and identify the spot where, he believed, over a hundred persons had been buried in a mass grave”, Omar Abdullah asserted, without reaction from his party colleague.

“By virtue of my best knowledge and belief, I strongly claim that there is not even a single mass grave anywhere in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. It’s easy to talk and hard to prove. I won’t hesitate to admit that there are many unmarked graves in all of our cemeteries. But, let it be clear to the world that we, in Jammu and Kashmir, don’t have a system of marking all graves. The issue is being raised wildly as if there was a system of marking the graves here. Here’s none. Yes, in few graves, I believe, there are two bodies instead of one. But, the impression is being created that there are thousands of mass graves with hundreds of bodies buried together like in Hitler’s country and Combodia”, Omar said.

Chief Minister moved on to admit that a number of civilians had been either kidnapped or subjected to enforced disappearance by armed forces. He was quick to add that thousands of unidentified militants from as many as 12 identified foreign countries---Pakistan, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Russia, Sudan, Britain etc---had got killed in encounters with security forces in the last 22 years in J&K but successive governments had no available means to ascertain their identities. While admitting custodial killings and enforced disappearances by armed forces, Omar asserted that thousands more had been eliminated by militants. He said that militants too had kidnapped people and subjected them to enforced disappearance in large numbers while as many of the militants were believed to have died during training at their camps and because of many other factors.

“Many of the missing militants are known to have raised families across the border. Many are known to be working as labours, vendors, salesmen and shopkeepers”, Omar asserted and asked how each and every missing person could be dumped in the government’s account. According to him, politicians, human rights activists and media were mixing up all disappearances and killings to corner the government.

“The other day only, one of our newspapers reported that there were 2500 mass graves in Poonch district alone. Had this large number of people died and disappeared, their families would not have remained silent for 22 years. They would have raised a storm. Let me make it clear that according to the best verified official statistics, 2,136 militants have died in gunbattles with troops in Poonch and they have all been buried separately with full religious rituals. As many as 2,090 of them were foreigners. Nobody of us knows anything about their identities, families and places of residence. We have no clues. Are they all civilian victims of the forces’ human rights abuse?” Chief Minister asked, amid pin drop silence in the House.

He said that even in the statistics from different quarters, there were too many variations. “According to official figures, 17000 civilians have been killed by militants and forces in J&K. Statistics from separatist leaders and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) are completely different over those killed openly or subjected to enforced disappearance”, Omar added. He said that in order to reach out to the truth, he had proposed constitution of Truth & Reconciliation Commission when he was in Opposition. He made it clear that its functioning was impossible until both, India and Pakistan, lent it full support and cooperation.

“Pakistan has been claiming for over 20 years that there is an indigenous freedom movement in Kashmir. It has been claiming to the world that those across the LoC are all Kashmiris, fighting for freedom. The fact remains that families of 800 of these people have given us applications to facilitate return of their children. Another fact is that thousands of foreigners, including Pakistani militants, have died here. How is it possible for Pakistan to claim all these men? It will obviously land them in an embarrassing situation”, Omar asserted and claimed that TRC would prove to be the best CBM between India and Pakistan. He pointed out that Islamabad had not owned even its regular soldiers who had infiltrated into Kargil and died in a war in 1999. “How would it own the militants?” he asked.

Taking exception to Mehbooba Mufti’s reference to a debate of Kashmir’s mass graves in the British Parliament, Omar lashed out at UK and other foreign countries for their “untold human rights abuse” in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries. He said that those lecturing J&K on human rights were themselves indulging in shameful rights abuse and it was none of their business “to poke their nose in our matters”.

Chief Minister said that it was a matter of pride for every citizen in this country that our institutions were so much democratic and transparent that it was SHRC which had raked up the issue of custodial killings in J&K. He assured the people that his government would work on the SHRC recommendations with complete sincerity and good intentions. He advised members of the families of disappeared persons to file FIRs in the government’s human rights cell and provide their blood samples for DNA matching with the unidentified men buried in graves.

“Those who delivered lecture here on SHRC report are the people who did not implement a single recommendation of the commission during their regime. They even forced Chairman of SHRC to resign. We will never do that”, Omar said while making a dig on the PDP MLAs who were on walk-out during the discussion.

END

Omar in Singapore, Rahul in Srinagar

‘I have my roots in Kashmir and I have suffered much like many of you did---my grandmother was killed when I was 14, my father was killed when I was 21’

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 26: Over a year after the radical Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s address to a gathering of students at the campus, it was--- in contrast---turn of the All India Congress Committee General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi, today to reach out to an academic audience at the University of Kashmir. With Geelani languishing in ‘house arrest’ and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reportedly enjoying a holiday in Singapore on day one of the Legislature’s autumn session, Rahul also paid obeisance at the Valley’s holiest Hazratbal shrine.

Obviously, there were no security or law and order apprehensions as far as Rahul Gandhi’s arrival and departure at Srinagar Airport, his landing at Nehru Helipad, near Raj Bhawan, and his brief visit to a calm Kargil were concerned. There were no obtrusive security interventions as most of the incoming and outgoing passengers at Srinagar Airport had no idea of the presence and movement of one of the country’s most protected politicians. All the 20-odd flights operated without disruption. Even the SSP of Budgam district was on leave at his home outside the state.

Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, was the only government functionary who received Rahul when his chartered aircraft landed in technical area of Srinagar Airport at 10.05 a.m. He performed the protocol ritual on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Omar missed even the day one proceedings of Assembly’s and Council’s autumn session. Officials maintained he was in Singapore and would be reaching back home by late this evening.

Within minutes, Rahul and his thin entourage boarded a state aircraft for their onward journey to Kargil. They were also joined by J&K Pradesh Congress Committee President, Prof Saifud-din Soz, and Minister of health and horticulture, Sham Lal Sharma. Exactly an hour after, Rahul landed at Kargil to an animated reception at Public Park, in the heart of town. He took a brief meeting of his party workers and leaders at the airport before cruising to the venue of his public meeting in an SPG guarded motorcade. Nearly 5,000 people formed his first ever audience in the hilly township that became famous in the world on account of Indo-Pakistan skirmishes in 1999.

Local Congress leader, Asgar Karbalai, and Prof Soz had all the fun in leaving not a minute for other aspirants like former Minister Haji Nisar Ali, District President Ghulam Hassan Raza and former MP, Ghulam Hassan ‘Commander’. For around 20 minutes, Rahul promised the moon to his enthusiastic gathering, draped in colourful Ladakhi costumes. He spoke of their problems and assured them that he would do his best to ensure that Kargil got a better telecommunication, air and surface communication connectivity. “I’ll put in all efforts to see that your dream of a tunnel at Zijilla turns true soon”, he said to a standing ovation.

Contrary to many politicians showing the direction of Muzaffarabad and Rawalpindi to their listeners in Srinagar, Rahul pointed towards Delhi. He was so enthused by the response from the crowds that he broke the security drill on his return to Airport and walked over 150 yards to oblige his followers.

By the time, Rahul landed back at technical area of Srinagar Airport to board a waiting helicopter for Nehru helipad, a number of Congress leaders and Ministers had made a beeline to mark their attendance. From Nehru helipad, he drove straight to the most critical leg of his first remarkably noticed visit in the Valley.

Hazratbal being completely out-of-bounds for media spoke volumes of the uncertainty and apprehensions afflicting Rahul’s visit. MP and Rahul’s aide, Meenakshi Natrajan, appeared pretty concerned over reports in local newspapers that the AICC General Secretary would be beginning his party’s membership drive from the KU campuses. There were clarifications, more than once, as if to pre-empt much apprehended student convulsions at the University.

Senior Police officials remembered how Farooq Abdullah was once humiliated by a Professor of Law Department in presence of Governor N N Vohra. They also knew how angry students had booed and heckled even perceived sympathizers of the ‘Kashmir cause’ like Kuldeep Nayar over slight equivocations with regard to “freedom struggle”. But, they also knew that cameras were a bigger stimulant that the real outrage and sense of victimhood.

The strategy worked. Security, as well as University officials, maintained that as many as 1200 to 1500 Kashmiri students in a gathering at Convocation Hall interacted with Rahul. After a brief introductory by Vice Chancellor Prof Talat, Rahul spoke briefly about Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country and the “fast changing political scenario”. He devoted much of his scheduled time to a question-answer session and appeared to be taking care to ensure that none in the audience was hurt or disappointed.

There were hands at work to disrupt Rahul’s visit. “It is tragic that University allows political activities of the parties which adhere to the Indian government's line while it puts curbs, threatens and bans the student welfare activities and political activism by the students”, read an email circulated under the banner of ‘Kashmir University Students Union’.

It added: “The distribution of the Youth Congress recruitment forms at the University campus is a grave provocation as hundreds of youths, many of them students, were killed by the Indian forces who enjoy the patronage of the same party. It is not righteous and moral for the youth of Kashmir to involve themselves in these activities when thousands of youth are languishing in jails.

 “The Students body also strongly condemns Rahul Gandhi's visit to Kashmir, and our campus in particular, to oversee the recruitment drive and believe it is a political gimmick to show the world that they are reaching out to the people”.

But a calm and composed Meenakshi Natrajan conducted the proceedings with aplomb. There were, of course, piercing questions over the death of over a hundred youth in last summer’s street turbulence in Valley, “treatment of traitors” being meted out to many of the Kashmiri students “all over your country”, New Delhi’s “policy of status qua”, discouragement of industry, absence of infrastructure and “little avenues of employment” besides “brazen corruption in public offices” and “poor services”.

Rahul shared his emotions with the visibly complaining questioners. “I do well understand and feel the agony you have gone through for years of your tender age. I’m a victim (of terrorism) like many of you. My grandmother was gunned down (in 1984) when I was 14. My father was killed (in 1991) when I was 21”, he said and sought to convince his young audiences that he would leave no stone unturned to terminate the demon of death and destruction in Kashmir. “I’m rooted in Kashmir. My great grandfathers were from this land”. He invited many of his audiences to New Delhi for a “more comprehensive and closer interaction”.

Contrary to speculations in media, there was no party recruitment drive, either in Kargil or in Srinagar. Rahul also paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of Kashmir’s most revered shrine at Hazratbal and later attended a concluding session with his party leaders and workers, besides lately elected Panches and Sarpanches, at SKICC. He is staying for the night at Nehru Guest House but had no schedules of meetings with the senior government functionaries. He would be flying to Rajouri to cover the last leg of his whirlwind tour tomorrow before his departure from Jammu airport to Delhi.

Well placed sources this evening revealed to Early Times that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was flying back home from Delhi, would call on Rahul at Nehru Guest House and possibly attend the dinner with the state guest.

END

Three Ministers in SAC’s dock over fresh charges of corruption, raising huge assets

CS asked to provide details of all politicians enjoying status of Minister/MoS by September 28

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 23: State’s highest accountability watchdog, Jammu & Kashmir State Accountability Commission (SAC), has received complaints, containing serious allegations, against two Ministers and one particular politician, enjoying the status of a Minister in Omar Abdullah’s coalition government. While as the complaints against the two Ministers have been forwarded to them for their respective comments, third one concerning a prominent politician has been treated with a difference. SAC has asked Chief Secretary Madhav Lal to provide details about all the politicians of the ruling coalition who are not in Chief Minister’s 22-member Council of Ministers but are enjoying the status of a Minister or Minister of State.

Resuming its functioning after suspended animation of over three years, SAC has entertained complaints against both the Ministers and forwarded the same to them for their respective comments. One of them, according to informed sources, has returned the document with a detailed response in defence. Commission is now examining the Minister’s response in light of the complaints and awaiting a statement from another respondent. The complainants have sought action against the two Ministers while being knowledgeable that they would be liable to punishment under the law in case their accusations against the public men proved to be motivated or unfounded.

SAC has initiated action over the complaints without publicly revealing identities and specific contents as desired by the amended law in anticipation of commencement of a regular inquiry.

Early Times, however, learned from authoritative sources that all the three complaints against the coalition functionaries have been taken seriously by the lately revived SAC. On the direction of Chairman, Justice (retd) Y P Nargotra, and Member, Justice (retd) Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain, Registrar of SAC today sent a letter to Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, asking for names of the politicians holding status of Minister or MoS, emoluments, perks and other facilities available to them, rules and regulations governing appointment of such government functionaries besides procedure and criteria, if any, adopted for conferment of status of Minister/MoS on the politicians who are not otherwise members of the Council of Ministers.

Chief Secretary has been directed to furnish complete information by or before September 28^th.

Dealing with the third fresh complaint, concerning a politician who has been holding status of a Minister, SAC is understood to be obtaining details about all the eight politicians of the NC-Congress coalition government enjoying this privilege. There are currently 22 members in Omar Abdullah’s Council of Ministers who are all on oath. Two slots, each belonging to NC and Congress in the power sharing arrangement, have been continuously vacant since 2009.

Congress party’s MLA from Inderwal and high profile Minister of Works, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, had been removed in the middle of last year when CBI began investigating charges of his daughter having hired an outsider for appearing in a competitive examination to ensure her selection for MBBS. Anticipating clean chit to Saroori---that could lead to his re-induction---Congress has not insisted over replacement in the last one year.

Under a law amended during Ghulam Nabi Azad’s regime, total strength of the Council of Ministers has to be 25 in Jammu and Kashmir. However, Omar government has conferred status of Minister/MoS on as many as eight politicians. NC’s MLA from Iddgah, Mubarak Gul, is the only among eight who is holding the superior status of a cabinet Minister since August 2009. He stands designated as “Advisor to Chief Minister”.

NC’s MLC from Jammu, Devinder Singh Rana, who was appointed as “Political Advisor to Chief Minister” a day after Omar Abdullah assumed office on January 5^th, 2009, has been holding the status of a Minister of State.

Making amendments in law, Omar government also deleted few other positions from the list of Office of Profit to protect its legislators from disqualification. Senior Congress leader and former MLA/MLC, Khem Lata Wakhloo, who functioned as a Cabinet Minister in Ghulam Mohammad Shah’s government in 1984-86, was appointed as Chairperson J&K State Social Welfare Advisory on 28-10-2010. Order of her appointment did not mention her status but bureaucratic sources insist that she was offered status of MoS which she declined to accept. She has been struggling to seek status of a Cabinet Minister with the plea that she had functioned as a Cabinet Minister in 1984-86 and is not working under any other authority, unlike several Vice Chairpersons of statutory boards.

NC’s MLA from Habbakadal, Shameema Firdaus, was appointed as Chaiperson of J&K State Women’s Commission on 19-01-2010. She too has been holding status of MoS.

NC’s former MLA from Surankote and one-time MoS in Dr Farooq Abdullah’s government in 1996-2002, Mushtaq Ahmad Shah Bukhari was appointed Vice Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir State Advisory Board for Welfare and Development of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) on 19-01-2010. He too enjoys status of MoS.

NC’s incumbent MLA from Kalakote, Rachhpal Singh, was appointed as Vice Chairman of J&K State Advisory Board for the Development of Kissans on 19-01-2010. He too was conferred status of MoS.

Congress party’s Smt Swaran Lata was appointed as Vice Chairperson, J&K State Advisory Board for Welfare and Development of Schedule Castes on 10-02-2010. Same party’s Kuldeep Raj was appointed as Vice Chairman Jammu and Kashmir State Advisory Board for Welfare and Development of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) on 15-02-2011. Neither of them is a member of J&K Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council. Both are holding status of MoS.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah himself has been functioning as Chairman of the Boards operated by Mushtaq Bukhari, Rachhpal Singh, Swaran Lata and Kuldeep Raj.

END

We’ll recommend J&K’s solution within Indian Constitution: Padgoankar

After 11 months of equivocation, interlocutors uncover themselves to the best of Delhi’s liking in Srinagar

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 21: This autumnal equinox has come with veritable change of colour among the Centre’s interlocutors who raised speculations of an “out of box” solution for the last eleven months of their academic picnic but wrapped up their Mission Kashmir today to the best of their masters’ liking. Head of the three-member team, Dileep Padgaonkar, made it unambiguously clear that the final report, to be submitted to union Home Minister P Chidambaram before October 12^th, would recommend solution to the political problem of Jammu and Kashmir “within the framework of the (Indian) Constitution”.

Hours before concluding their 11-month-long study tour and interaction with stakeholders---remarkably without any separatist leader’s involvement---Centre’s interlocutors, Dileep Padgoankar, Radha Kumar and M M Ansari, made it clear at their news conference that their report to New Delhi would recommend a solution to the political problem of Jammu and Kashmir “within the framework of the (Indian) Constitution”. “Any solution outside the Constitution is impossible and impracticable. Not only people across the country but also majority of the state subjects in all three regions want a solution within the framework of the Constitution. That’s what we are recommending in our report”, principal interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar said.

Padgoankar asserted that solution to the political problem would have to be in conformity with the aspirations of the people of entire Jammu and Kashmir state. He claimed that solution to all problems within the Indian Constitution was the aspiration of almost all the people in Jammu and Ladakh regions besides a reasonable majority in Kashmir valley. He revealed that his team would submit the final report to the Centre before October 12^th next---shortly before completing its one-year life.

The interlocutors said that there were many ways and means to satisfy the economic, developmental, social and cultural aspirations of the people living in different regions of the state but the political problem would have to be addressed on an all-inclusive basis and with regard to aspirations of the majority of the state subjects. They claimed that during their numerous visits to all three regions of the state and interaction with cross-sections of the population, they observed that most of the people wanted a solution within the framework of the Constitution.

Without indicating treatment to any of the proposals and formulae---including the much speculated Greater Autonomy of National Conference and Self Rule of PDP--- Padgoankar made it clear that the interlocutors’ final report would not recommend division or trifurcation of the state. He said that he and his colleagues were convinced that sovereignty and integrity of the state was a fait accompli and there was no question of breaking it into different administrative units. He, however, suggested that delegation of more powers to the state would satisfy the aspiration of a large number of people.

When it was pointed out to the interlocutors that none of the separatist leaders had interacted with them---excluding a dramatic meeting imposed on Maulvi Abbas Ansari at his home---they asserted that the separatists had “lost a valuable opportunity”. They claimed that they had made best of their efforts to rope in the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders, and also offered them every convenience of meeting, but it was unfortunate that they did not respond positively. Padgoankar suggested that all through the period, Hurriyat and other separatist outfits laboured under “compulsions”. He declined to elaborate.

Padgoankar claimed credit for the change Kashmir witnessed in the last one year. According to him, this total transformation, in sharp contrast to turbulent summer of 2010, was attributable to New Delhi’s decision of sending a team of interlocutors to Jammu and Kashmir. He pointed out that during this period Panchayat elections of the highest ever peoples’ participation had been conducted smoothly in Jammu and Kashmir and all-time high tourist traffic had been recorded in the state. Padgoankar’s statement is expected to evoke a strongly negative reaction from all hues of Kashmiri separatists who have been alleging from day one that it was all “part of an Indian exercise to hoodwink the world over Kashmir problem”.

END

Social Welfare feeding poison to Anganwari kids

Food samples in all 10 medical blocks found adulterated in Budgam

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 20: Indicating a nexus between the suppliers and officials of Social Welfare Department, samples of the food items provided to thousands of young children at Anganwari Centers have been found adulterated in all 1o medical blocks in Budgam district. Rather than initiating criminal proceedings against the suppliers and assessing culpability of the officials, authorities in Drug and Food Control Organisation are said to be hushing up the matters.

Parents of hundreds of children at 1500 Anganwari Centres in Budgam district had been crying hoarse since beginning of the current year that substandard and adulterated supplies were being received by officials and delivered at AW centres. According to them, nutrients and food components were being circulated to over 30,000 children without any examination or analysis by the experts.

In the face of a public outcry, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Budgam directed all the 10 Block Medical Officers in April to pick up random samples at different AW centres and get them examined by food analysts. Since the overwhelming complaints mentioned three particular items, authorities collected samples of only Priya Gold biscuits, turmeric powder and skimmed milk. Within days, Public Analyst at Public Health Laboratory, Dalgate, alerted the concerned Food Inspectors and BMOs that all the samples analysed had been found adulterated and harmful for human consumption.

BMO Magam wrote to Project Officer ICDS Narbal vide letter No: BMOM/3536-39 Dated 15-07-2011: “The sample was sent to Public Analyst, Public Health Lab Dalgate Srinagar for analysis and the said sample was declared adulterated vide report No: PFAK/Legal/2161 Dated 06/07/2011, copy of which is enclosed herewith”.

He added: “It is therefore requested to your goodself that to communicate complete information within 07 days regarding name and address of the supplier/distributor/manufacturer alongwith bill/invoice who has supplied the adulterated spray dried milk Madhusagar brand to ICDS-CDPO Narbal. The matter may be taken as most urgent so that the sanction of prosecution is obtained under section-20 of PFA Act-1954”.

Public Analyst Hamidullah Dar observed different impurities and adulterations in others samples including biscuits (Priya Gold) and turmeric powder. Vide a number of reports, all in possession of Early Times, he alerted all BMOs in Budgam district that the food items being consumed by young children at AW centres had been found adulterated and were dangerous for human consumption.

Even as the Public Analyst, CMO Budgam and different BMOs asked Project Officers of all 8 ICDS blocks to immediately stop the supplies and remove all those already delivered at AW centres, officials of Social Welfare Department did not act until sizable quantities were fed to the children in the months of April, May, June and July. Later, the left-over supplies were removed in the months of July and August. Even the analysis procedure at the Public Laboratory took three to four weeks in absence of persuasion from Social Welfare Department.

One of such communications from Legal Health Authority Nagam, Chadoura, vide No: BMO/N 1065-67 Dated 25-07-2011, made it clear to CDPO Nagam/Chadoura that the supplies were harmful: “The Analyst reports of the food samples found adulterated by Public Analyst Kashmir Province. In this connection, you are as such directed to instruct your Anganwari Workers to stop consumption of adulterated food stuff which are not fit for human consumption and prevent any untoward incident in the area”.

BMO Chattergam wrote a similar letter, No; LHA/BCH/24-27 Dated 09-08-2011, to Project Officer ICDS BK Pora, Chattergam.

Officials at Directorate of Health Services Kashmir revealed to this newspaper that a large number of children developed multiple complicacies allegedly due to consumption of adulterated food items at AW centres and most of them were treated either locally at home or at different dispensaries, PHCs and District Hospital of Budgam. However, a separate record of such cases was not maintained.

Sources said that CMO Budgam finally asked Assistant Controller Food of Drug & Food Control Organisation, vide his No: CMOB/2355-56 Dated 19-08-2011, to take legal action against the delinquent suppliers. He, however, did not call for identification of the culpability of the officials of Social Welfare Department whose complicity or careless had led to passage of adulterated supplies to AW stores/ centres and finally consumption by young children.

Director Social Welfare Department, Kashmir, Hilal Ahmad Parray, as well as Programme Officer ICDS Budgam district, Nazir Ahmad Khwaja, maintained that “some items at some centres” had been found adulterated which, according to them, were “removed and replaced immediately”. Officials of Health and Social Welfare departments held each other responsible for verification of the standards of the nutrition items before their passage to AW centres. DC Budgam happens to be the Chairman of District Level Purchase Committee (DLPC) and Programme Officer is the Member/Secretary of the flagship central scheme in social welfare sector.

DC Budgam, Mohammad Rafi, admitted that there was no foolproof system to pre-examine the supplies before their delivery at AW centres. He said that as Chairman of the DLPC his responsibility was limited to procurement of supplies from genuine and reputed suppliers. The job of examining the quality and quantity of the supplies, according to him, was that of the officials of Social Welfare Department.

With everybody passing the buck and the Food & Drug Control Organisation sleeping over the serious matter, Minister incharge Social Welfare, Sakeena Itoo, told Early Times that she would call for a detailed report from Director and District Officer and accordingly initiate necessary legal and departmental action in the serious lapse. “I’m already seized of the matter and I have asked my subordinate officers to send me a detailed report. If anybody is found responsible of lapse or indulgence in corruption, I will take strict action”, she asserted.

END