Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 26: PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din, who was facing serious charges of forest land encroachment, today shot off a letter to Legislative Council Chairman Amrit Malhotra demanding that the House Committee, constituted to inquire into allegations against the Minister, should be rescinded.
This was third letter written by Taj to Mr Malhotra and Legislative Assembly Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone during last three days pleading his ‘cause’ but he didn’t seems to have meet with any success as the Legislative Council Chairman has described assertion of the Minister as “factually wrong’’ saying “everything was matter of record in the House’’.
Taj Mohi-ud-Din, who had been charged with forest land encroachment by National Panthers Party (NPP) MLC Syed Rafiq Ahmad Shah during autumn session of the Legislature, had written twice to the Speaker on October 24 and 25 while today he wrote a letter to the Chairman.
Official sources told the Excelsior that in today’s letter addressed to Legislative Council Chairman, Amrit Malhotra, Taj Mohi-ud-Din has claimed that the demand for constitution of House Committee to look into the allegations of land encroachment against him had been made by only two members in the House including Rafiq Ahmad Shah (NPP) and Murtaza Khan (PDP).
Taj has also urged Mr Malhotra to refer the matter of constitution of the House Committee in the Upper House against a member of the Lower House to Advocate General (AG) for legal opinion. In his yesterday’s letter to the Speaker, Taj had made similar demand. The Speaker had referred the letter to the AG for legal opinion.
The first letter of the Minister to the Speaker had given clarification on the land charges. Mr Lone had referred the letter to the Chairman.
When approached for his comments, Mr Malhotra, who was camping in New Delhi, confirmed receipt of Taj Mohi-ud-Din’s letter by the Council Secretary.
“It is a matter of record (in the House)’’, Mr Malhotra remarked saying “the record was available in the House as to how many members had demanded constitution of the House Committee and to which party they were affiliated. I need not to elaborate further but the House record is in tact’’.
On Taj Mohi-ud-Din’s demand for rescinding the House Committee, sources said the Committee had been constituted on the basis of demand made by the House members and after going through the allegations made in the representation of the NPP MLA on encroachment of forest land by the Minister.
“How can one person (the Chairman) rescind the Committee constituted in the House’’? Mr Malhotra asked.
Taj has also claimed in his letter to the Chairman that Leader of the Upper House RS Chib (Medical Education Minister) and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar had opposed demand of the constitution of the House Committee.
However, sources said, Taj Mohi-ud-Din hadn’t attended the House throughout the session and came to the Council only on last day that too after Forest Minister Mian Altaf had replied to deferred question on forest land encroachment. Taj gave his clarification on last day, they added.
“How does Taj know about happenings in the Upper House including who had opposed or supported constitution of the House Committee when he was not present in the Council throughout the session except for brief appearance on last day’’? sources asked.
They said if Taj was not involved in land encroachments why he was such frightened from the House Committee that he had approached the Chairman and the Speaker thrice during past three days and went on to demand the rescinding of the House Committee to enquire into allegations of forest land encroachment against him.
“Constitution of the House Committee didn’t mean that the Minister was involved in land encroachment. The Committee had to listen to the Minister’s version and go into the entire record, produced by the NPP MLC and the documents available with administration etc. The Committee had to submit its findings to the Chairman during budget session of the Legislature’’, sources said, adding that the Committee was also accountable to the House.
It may be mentioned that the Legislative Council Chairman had constituted the House Committee after prima facie finding some substance in the allegations of forest land encroachment by Taj Mohi-ud-Din the documents submitted by the NPP MLC.
PDP MLC Murtaza Khan has been nominated chairman of the committee while Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardhy, Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri, Bashir Ahmed Magray and Syed Rafiq Ahmad Shah were appointed as its members.
Follow our WhatsApp channel