After months of delays, the Omar Abdullah-led government will be having its first cabinet expansion as chief minister Omar Abdullah today called on lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar to discuss governance issues and the expansion of the council of ministers.
Abdullah reached Lok Bhavan around 11am for the meeting. The visit comes shortly after Sinha returned to Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday following a temporary absence due to health reasons. Earlier, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had indicated that any cabinet expansion would proceed once the lieutenant governor returned to Srinagar.
Speaking to reporters, Omar Abdullah confirmed that he has formally requested the LG to schedule a time during the first two days of next week for the cabinet expansion ceremony.
“It’s been a long time since I met him, so today LG gave me time to meet him. You want to know whether cabinet reshuffle was discussed with LG or not. I sought time from LG for the expansion, and requested him to fix it 2-3 days next week”, he said.
Omar Abdullah said that a list of new council of ministers have already been prepared and no changes will be made in the names.”The list is ready after consulting Farooq Abdullah. Now there is no need to bother me or Farooq Abdullah as the decision about who will become the minister has been made. I would like to request my colleagues to be patient. I am getting so many WhatsApp messages and long letters as if I do not know them (legislators). Please do not send me anything either on WhatsApp or call me. Please do not knock on my door. The reshuffle will take place in the next 2-3 days”, he added.
{{/usCountry}}Omar Abdullah said that a list of new council of ministers have already been prepared and no changes will be made in the names.”The list is ready after consulting Farooq Abdullah. Now there is no need to bother me or Farooq Abdullah as the decision about who will become the minister has been made. I would like to request my colleagues to be patient. I am getting so many WhatsApp messages and long letters as if I do not know them (legislators). Please do not send me anything either on WhatsApp or call me. Please do not knock on my door. The reshuffle will take place in the next 2-3 days”, he added.
{{/usCountry}}Sources indicate that beyond filling vacancies, the administration may drop or shift up to two sitting members of the council of ministers to manage internal party dynamics and preserve regional representation between Jammu and Kashmir. Among prospective inductees, assembly speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, a seven-time legislator with a finance background, is tipped for a cabinet role. Constitutional procedure requires Rather to formally step down as speaker before being sworn into the executive council, with senior NC leader Mubarak Gul reported as a likely candidate to succeed him in the chair.
For several months, the NC offered a cabinet portfolio to its electoral ally, the Congress. However, the Congress declined executive posts, opting to extend support from the outside until full statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir.
The NC government currently has five ministers, including deputy chief minister Surinder Chowdhary. The fresh expansion could take the strength of the cabinet to eight. Currently, three ministers are from Jammu and two from Kashmir. Several senior legislators are hopeful of securing cabinet berths. People familiar with the matter said that the CM was finding it very difficult to accommodate everyone as there are many aspirants for just three berths. BJP, which is the main opposition in J&K, had mocked the CM, saying that he fears that many legislators could break from the party if they aren’t given.
Sajad Lone hits out at Omar over public rebuke of NC MLAs
J&K Peoples Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone on Saturday castigated the chief minister Omar Abdullah’s remarks to the media after his meeting with the lieutenant Governor LG Sinha.
Lone said the CM had publicly told his party legislators not to pester him for a ministerial berth. PC chairman described the remarks as “a contemptuous and disdainful way” of addressing elected members.
“I can’t believe that these MLAs are comfortable with such belittling and humiliating remarks. If you are unable to accommodate them in the cabinet, you can spare them from public humiliation,” he said.