Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 3: Infighting in the Congress today once again figured in the Legislative Assembly with Medical Education Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din claiming that figures submitted in the House yesterday (by PHE Minister Sham Lal Sharma) about 7390 backdoor appointments pertained to 1994-2005 when he was not the PHE Minister and asserted that this fact should have been clarified in the House itself.
Raising the issue in the Assembly when Sham was not present in the House, Taj said he was surprised to know that he had made 7390 backdoor recruitments as he hadn’t approved even a single appointment
“I went through the record. Now the papers are with me. These appointments (of casual, need based, CP workers etc in PHE Department) pertained to the period between 1994 and 2005 when I was not the PHE Minister,’’ he said, adding this aspect should have been clarified by the Government while submitting figures in the House.
Handing over copies of the appointments to Speaker Mubarak Gul, Mohi-ud-Din while addressing Mr Tarigami said the appointments have been made up to 2005 and he was not his culprit. Worthwhile to mention here that Mr Tarigami was highly agitated over the appointments on the ground that only 17 youths had been engaged in district Kulgam as against 600 to 800 in other districts. He was of the view that the MLAs should be taken into confidence while engaging the workers.
“The answer to question was given in a manner as if I have engaged all the workers. I have got a bad name through the answer. Today, everyone is saying that Taj has made the backdoor appointments. I don’t know what has been happening here. The members were being made to believe as to if I had committed a theft. I was ashamed when I learnt that I have made 7000 appointments while the fact was that I have not made a single appointment,’’ Taj said without naming Sham Lal Sharma, who had yesterday given reply to the question of NPP MLA Yash Pal Kundal.
“With folded hands, I am saying that I am not your culprit,’’ he said addressing Mr Tarigami.
Speaker Mubarak Gul hailed the Minister for submitting the list. “I already had doubts over the list that’s why I took no decision in haste,’’ Mr Gul said.
Mr Tarigami said whether the appointments were made in 2004 or 2005 was not the question. “We don’t want that the Ministers shouldn’t work. We want that rules must by followed and there should be accountability. The way the casual/need based workers were engaged required thorough investigations. In one district, 400 workers were engaged, in another district the figure was 600 while in Kulgam, it was 17.
“Who is responsible is not the question? The factional fight can be in the parties but what we have to take out of it. The question is of gross injustice. The MLA is not meant only for maintaining quorum but he should be taken into confidence while engaging the workers. If a Minister gets four, the MLA should also be given one,’’ Mr Tarigami said.
Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo strongly came out in defence of Taj Mohi-ud-Din saying the appointments were made in 2004 when Taj was not the Minister.
She said a wrong message has gone out that the Ministers were making backdoor appointments. “Information should be collected from all Department. Why the Ministers should be punished? Why Mr Tarigami didn’t speak in 2005 when the appointments were made’’? she asked.
Engineer Abdul Rashid (Independent) said the two Ministers have no moral right to be here as they were openly indulging in infighting outside. “The battle for the post of PCC (I) chief shouldn’t be fought in the House,’’ he added.
NC MLA Shamima Firdous said: “the MLAs are not beggars. They are asking for their right. If a Minister gets 10 posts, the MLA should also get an equal number. We too have to go to the people’’.
Taking on Taj Mohi-ud-Din, she said he had assured the House last year that the list of Class-IV vacancies would be made available and filled up. The members would also be accommodated but the Minister has not kept his assurance, she lamented.
However, Congress MLA and former Minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori defended Taj saying the casual workers were required to man the schemes in rural areas. He said there should be no mud slinging on each other. “These are the poor people, who have been engaged as casual/need basis,’’ he added.
NPP MLA Yash Pal Kundal said two Cabinet Ministers have been fighting on engagements. He urged the Speaker to set up House Committee to probe the engagements.
PDF MLA and former Minister Hakim Mohammad Yasin said all those engaged as workers shouldn’t be removed from their posts.
NC MLAs including Irfan Shah, Aijaz Jan, Peer Afaq, Shamima Firdous besides NPP and JSM legislators continued to agitated over backdoor appointments.
The Speaker said he has sought the list. “Let the list comes first. I will examine. The Minister said he has nothing to do with the decision of engagements. I reserve my decision till the list comes,’’ he announced.
JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather had assured action in backdoor engagements. Recalling that a House Committee had been set up by the previous Assembly to probe backdoor appointments of PHE since 1996, he wanted to know the fate of the House Committee.
NPP MLA Harshdev Singh said the Government shouldn’t engaged 43,000 casual workers if they had to make the appointments through backdoor.
“This is not the question of one Department. Everywhere no criteria has been adopted in making engagements. There is no transparency in the appointments,’’ Mr Singh said.
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