Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 2: Amidst reports of back channel efforts by the BJP to cobble up a coalition Government by managing support from some MLAs of their erstwhile coalition partner, PDP, three PDP MLAs including prominent Shia leader and former Minister Imran Raza Ansari, today openly revolted against the party leadership charging former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti with running “family rule” in the party and failing to deliver despite whole-hearted support from the BJP Government at the Centre.
Besides Imran Ansari, who is PDP’s MLA from Pattan, Baramulla, his uncle Abid Ansari, MLA Zadibal in Srinagar district and Mohammad Abbas, MLA Tangmarg in Baramulla district, also revolted against the party leadership saying they had earlier also warned the party leadership to refrain from promoting a coterie and family rule but they paid no heed to us.
Sources in the BJP confirmed to the Excelsior that some of the MLAs were in tough with the party high command and didn’t rule out more MLAs of the PDP revolting against the party leadership.
They recalled that some Shia MLAs of different political parties in Jammu and Kashmir had met Union Minister and BJP Shia leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi few months back during which an attempt was made to woo over them. Presently, however, the BJP high command has become active and party sources admitted that some of the MLAs were in touch with them.
Imran Raza Ansari, who was the Higher Education Minister in Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP Government, told the Excelsior that he had openly opposed the imposition of “family rule” in the PDP when Tassaduq Mufti, brother of Mehbooba, was brought from Bollywood and without any political experience made the MLC followed by the Minister.
Apart from Tassaduq Mufti, Imran named Naeem Akhter, former Works Minister, Sartaj Madni, party vice president and Peer Mansoor Shah, former MLA as the coterie which was running the PDP and charged them with “destroying the party”. All these four leaders, Imran pointed out, haven’t won the election and were trying to run the Government as well as the party through backdoor.
Asserting that he was ready for fresh elections to the Assembly, Imran Ansari, however, said there was always a number game and if the parties have numbers, they can form the Government in the State.
Asked whether he would quit the party, Imran shot back: “why should we quit the PDP? We are the genuine PDP leaders. Those, who have failed the PDP and done nothing for the party, should quit”.
The former Minister said that Mehbooba not only failed the PDP as a party, but also knocked down the hopes and the dreams of her own father and the PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had envisaged while founding the party. He added that blaming BJP for pulling the Government down only for the sake of power was rubbish and said that it was instead Mehbooba’s failure to lead the Government efficiently.
“The BJP supported the coalition Government wholeheartedly and it was because of their endeavors that such a huge chunk of money was released to the State for various developmental activities. However, Mehbooba’s ‘incompetence’ as a leader resulted in the failure of the Government machinery,” Ansari said, adding that that PDP and the Government had off late been reduced to a family opera where the brothers, the uncles, the aunties and other relatives would play protagonist and to continue with such a party was not only useless but a humiliation too.
The former IT Minister said that he has now decided to distance himself from the party where the opinion of the senior leaders doesn’t carry any meaning. He, however, added that he has not resigned as a legislator or from the basic membership of the party as of now, but clarified that the party has lost its essence and being called the leader of such a party was itself meaningless.
Imran Ansari’s shocker has come a day after his uncle and another PDP legislator Abid Ansari made similar remarks about Mehbooba Mufti giving a hint that everything was not going well in the party post the Government fall.
Abid alleged that Mehbooba posted her relatives on top posts.
Imran blamed Mehbooba Mufti for the Government fall and said she should be personally held responsible for the debacle.
Meanwhile, PDP MLA from Tangmarg Mohammad Abbas also revolted against the party leadership saying he stands shoulder to shoulder with Imran Ansari.
He said he endorsed Ansari’s statement against party leadership and would go with him.
Abbas, who had defeated Ghulam Hassan Mir, former Minister at Tangmarg in the last Assembly election, said that the PDP has been hijacked by a few which was not acceptable anymore.
Abbas further said that he had in the last Assembly session raised the issue on the floor of the House that party Ministers and MLAs were going haywire and nobody seemed to honour others but being a less influential MLA, his statement didn’t find space in the media.
Abbas claimed that Imran Ansari helped PDP win many seats in the previous elections but nobody seemed to honour his contribution.
Abbas added that he was not afraid of re-election and will go where ever Imran Ansari goes.
Meanwhile, sources in the BJP said that some of the leaders of “other parties” have met the BJP’s high command in New Delhi as well as in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP is opposed to dissolution of the Assembly and fresh elections in the State on the ground that more than two and half year term of the present Assembly was still left and efforts should be explored to form new Government in the State.
However, according to sources, the BJP wants annual Amarnath yatra to pass off peacefully and violence level come down in the Valley under Governor’s rule before formation of new Government in the State.
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