Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 10: The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today caught Government on wrong foot as it furnished two contradictory replies to two separate questions asked by the opposition MLAs in the Legislative Assembly on the appointment of daily wagers and casuals in various Government departments.
The issue of the backdoor appointments in the Legislative Assembly left Government red faced with none of the Ministers of the ruling National Conference except Forest Minister Mian Altaf returning the House after Question hour. The Minister too was busy in briefing the Congress Ministers and MLAs about the issue separately.
The PDP members were pressing for the reply from the Minister about the issue but Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone assured them he will come with reply soon. Speaker said he will direct the Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather to reply on this issue when he comes to the House. “Unfortunately, when he tried to reply yesterday, he was not allowed”, said the Speaker.
As the proceeding of the House under Calling in Attention were about to end, the PDP members were impatient. The Speaker, however, assured them the Minister will return to the House with the reply. But till the House was adjourned sine die, Minister failed to return to the House with the answer forcing the PDP MLA to walk out from the State Assembly.
Earlier the PDP Legislative Party leader Mehbooba Mufti wanted to draw the attention of the government towards appointment of casuals and daily wagers in various Government Departments as soon as the Assembly session began this morning.
The Opposition leader said the statement of Government, asked by two PDP members about appointments of 43000 casuals and daily wagers, was totally contradictory. She said in one reply, the Government said no casual or daily wagers has been appointed and in another reply, the Government said 43000 casuals and daily wagers have been appointed by the Government. She wanted to know what is correct.
Mehbooba said 43,000 casual and daily wagers have been appointed through back door by the Government. Mufti said lakhs of youths are un-employed in the State and it was injustice to them. “It was the unemployed youth who entered the Legislative Assembly and raised slogans on October 8 and thousands associated with National Youth Corps (NYC) are agitating on roads, demanding their regularization”, she said.
The PDP MLA who stood up demanding answer from the Government were joined by National Panthers Party (NPP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members who raised slogans against these alleged backdoor appointments.
The Opposition MLAs said ministers are involved in backdoor appointments in municipalities and other departments when deserving candidates were ignored.
When Chief Minister’s advisor Mubarak Gul tried to reply the issue, he was forced to sit down as NPP Harshdev Singh along with other opposition MLAs shouted at him that he is backdoor entry in the ministry. Singh said there is extra constitutional authority who are behind these backdoor appointments.
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