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Kashmir : Congress to have first Chief Minister in 30 years

	October 31, 2005

Faced with stiff opposition from Congress legislators to the move to allow Mufti Mohd. Sayeed to continue as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has decided to stick to the power-sharing arrangement with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The party high command decided that Ghulam Nabi Azad, at present Parliamentary Affairs Minister at the Centre, will take over as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister on November 2 when the Mufti completes his three year tenure. This will be the first time that a Congressman will be Chief Minister of the State after Syed Mir Qasim who had stepped down in the mid-70s after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Kashmir accord with Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah.



Soon after the Congress announced the decision that Ghulam Nabi Azad will take over as Chief Minister, the Mufti met State Governor S.K. Sinha on Saturday, Oct. 29 and submitted his resignation. The Governor asked him to continue in office till his successor is sworn in.



Later, Sayeed told reporters that the Congress decision to head the Government for the next three years was neither a surprise, nor was he unhappy. But Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had second thoughts on the changeover. “In fact, they were happy with the performance of the Government.” That was why they were considering whether the change was desired. But they had to take into account the party’s stakes in the state as well, the Mufti said. “I have been a Congressman and I know the compulsions.”



Sayeed said he had made it clear six months ago that the 2002 agreement on power-sharing would be implemented in letter and spirit. “I have told them (Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) that we will support the Government as they did during our term.” The PDP would extend full support to the coalition for the rest of the term.



On being informed by Sonia Gandhi, Azad and AICC general secretary Ambika Soni of the decision, the outgoing Chief Minister said : “I told them that the changeover should take place as early as possible as people want relief in the quake-hit areas. The whole coalition (the PDP, the Congress, the National Panthers Party and the CPI(M)) is together. God forbid, it has not broken down.”



Claiming that his Government had laid a “strong basis” for peace and development, the Mufti said, “We laid the foundation for whatever there was in the common minimum programme and it is for new dispensation to carry it forward.”







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Possibility of cabinet reshuffle



Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s departure for Srinagar to take over as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has set the stage for the long-awaited reshuffle of the Union Cabinet. Linked to the Cabinet reshuffle are changes at the Governors’ level and AICC overhaul in the wake of the organisational polls in the Congress.



Azad’s departure will leave four clear slots in the Union Cabinet. The other vacancies had been caused earlier by the resignations of Shibu Soren and Jagdish Tytler and the death of Sunil Dutt. There are reports that the Prime Minister may decide on the changes after Deepavali which is on November 1 and before the start of the winter session of Parliament on Nov. 21.



Not many changes are expected in the top of the line portfolios though there is talk in Congress circles of Soren’s return and the possibility of ministers holding dual charge being made to shed additional portfolios.



A major objective of the reshuffle-cum-expansion would be to streamline governance and make the Union Government more balanced in regional terms.



The Governors, whose terms are coming to an end in November, include S.S. Barnala (Tamil Nadu), Lt. Gen. K.M. Seth (Chhattisgarh) D.N. Sahaya (Tripura) and M.M. Jacob (Meghalaya). But the changes might not be restricted to just these states, given that Bihar’s Buta Singh’s fate will be decided by the Supreme Court’s detailed judgment which is still awaited.



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MLAs force Congress hand



Earlier on Tuesday, Oct. 25, Congress legislators and leaders from Jammu and Kashmir had demanded that the party take its turn to head the coalition in the state in keeping with the agreement with the PDP.



Several MLAs and some associate members had a meeting with AICC general secretary Ambika Soni, in charge of party affairs in the state, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Peerzada Mohammed Sayeed and Speaker Tara Chand met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who continued her consultations as the Nov. 2 deadline for transfer of power neared.



Referring to the legislators’ demand, Ambika Soni said there was nothing wrong in their wanting the Congress to lead the Government. “It is a natural reaction, but all of them have said they will abide by the decision the Congress president takes.”



Although the party had asked the PCC chief, the Speaker and Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma to come to Delhi for consultations, some MLAs and associate members made the trip on their own.



Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (NPP) chairman Bhim Singh demanded that the Congress convene a meeting of the coordination committee of the coalition to decide on the next Chief Minister. Under no circumstances would his party accept status quo, he said.



The NPP leader said the next Chief Minister should be from Jammu, be a member of the Legislature and one acceptable to all coalition partners.



Observers say that by uncharacteristically accommodating the demand of rebellious MLAs, the vulnerability of the Congress high command authority has been exposed.



In the past, the high command never countenanced challenge to its plans by rebellious regional leaders. There are any number of instances - be it Rajender Kaur Bhattal of Punjab, Bhajan Lal of Haryana or K. Karunakaran of Kerala - where the high command asserted its authority.



But intriguingly, the same high command gave in to the pressure from its Jammu and Kashmir MLAs. What is more interesting is the fact that senior Congress leaders admitted the absence of an anti- defection law in the state had made things difficult for the leadership. In other words, the high command can exercise its will only with the help of the anti-defection law.



Going by this explanation, the letter that was circulated on behalf of the “rebel” J & K MLAs denying any threat of resignation and promise to go by the Congress president’s decision, was only an eyewash meant to cover up the caving in by the leadership. However, when asked about this unusual response of the MLAs, a senior AICC leader admitted their public behaviour departed from convention. The leader tried to explain it by saying, “while it was a clear case of violation of discipline, it has to be seen in the context of Kashmir Congressmen’s wait for 30 long years to head the Government.





Restoring normality the main challenge : Azad



Chief Minister-designate Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that bringing normality to Jammu and Kashmir would be his first priority. In an informal chat with newspersons in New Delhi, he said he would ensure that those not with the Congress were not discriminated against.



Azad dismissed the suggestion that the people of the Valley were ill at ease with the Congress and, therefore, he could face difficulties in governance. “This sort of thing was there in the past. But now, Kashmir has also not been left untouched by globalisation.”



Maintaining that the Ministry needed to be downsized, he however, refused to specify the exact strength of his cabinet. The Mufti Mohammed Sayeed Cabinet had 35 members.





Anti-Army strike call flops



The strike call issued by separatist organisations on the anniversary of the arrival of Indian troops in 1947 in the wake of the attack on the valley by Pakistan, evoked a limited practically nil response in Kashmir on Thursday, Oct. 27. Shops in some parts of Srinagar, Baramullah, and Anantnag were closed, but shops and other businesses were open elsewhere.



In the past, a complete shut down would mark the occasion. “Not only did the people ignore the separatists’ general strike call, or respond to it impassively, the militants who would often strike with impunity in the past, could not do much to show their presence this time. The only major incident in which two soldiers were killed in a militant ambush, was reported from the mountainous district of Doda. Two militants were killed in a clash with the security forces near Bandipore. A policeman was injured when an anti-personnel mine seized from a militant went off accidentally.











Concern over Gilgit situation



India has lashed out at Pakistan for the deteriorating law and order situation in the northern areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and for the curfew imposed in Gilgit town. There have been clashes between civilians and law enforcement agencies in Gilgit since an incident on October 11 when Sunni gunmen opened fire on a group of Shias. The Pakistan Human Rights Commission has also expressed concern over continued violence and clashes in Gilgit.



External Affairs Ministry’s spokesman Navtej Sarna said : “We have noted with concern reports in the Pakistani media about a curfew being imposed in Gilgit and action taken by the Pakistani forces against people in the region.” In response to a question, he said : “There is a history of sectarian conflict in Gilgit and Baltistan regions of Jammu and Kashmir and of severe repressive measures being taken against legitimate protests and demonstrations.”



According to sources, with the northern areas severely hit by the October 8 earthquake, the Pakistani Army should have been in the forefront of the relief efforts there. Instead, the XI Corps of the Pakistani Army, which holds operational charge there, has attempted to quash the protests against lack of relief with a “very heavy hand”, a source said, leading to widespread unrest and some killings. The situation in the northern areas has degenerated into sectarian violence, with reports of repression against the Shia and Ismaeli communities, sources said.



Observers say that Pakistan has neglected relief work in the remote northern areas and has refused to allow foreign relief agencies to operate there as it does not want its misgovernance of the areas to be exposed.