Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 28: Ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today further strengthened its position in the Cabinet over its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by inducting two more Cabinet Ministers, taking its strength in the Cabinet to 12 as against BJP’s eight.
While the PDP had one vacancy in the Cabinet, it dropped Minister of State Farooq Ahmad Andrabi and, in his place, inducted one more Cabinet Minister. With today’s two inductions, PDP now has 12 Cabinet Ministers including the Chief Minister and two Ministers of State while BJP has been left with eight Cabinet berths including Sajjad Ghani Lone of People’s Conference, a pre-poll ally of the BJP, and three Ministers of State. PDP has a strength of 28 in the Legislative Assembly and BJP 27 (25 own and two of People’s Conference).
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Governor NN Vohra administered oath of office and secrecy to Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s brother, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti and party MLA from Chadoora, Javed Mustafa Mir at a simple ceremony in the lawns of Raj Bhavan at 11 am today.
Excelsior had yesterday exclusively reported that the Chief Minister would induct Tassaduq Mufti and Javed Mustafa Mir as the Cabinet Minister’s in today’s expansion of her Council of Ministry.
Significantly, the inductions came just six days ahead of the start of budget session of Legislature.
Tassaduq has been nominated as MLC while Mir is PDP’s third consecutive time MLA from Chadoora in Budgam district. Mir was Revenue Minister in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led PDP-BJP coalition Government from March 1, 2015 to January 7, 2016 but was dropped by Mehbooba Mufti when she took over as the Chief Minister on April 4, 2016 after the demise of her father. Another Cabinet Minister in Mufti Sayeed Government, Altaf Bukhari, who then held charge of Works Ministry was also dropped by Mehbooba. While Bukhari was re-inducted as Education Minister on February 17, 2017, Javed staged comeback in the Ministry today.
Tassaduq has become third member from the Legislative Council in the Council of Ministry headed by Mehbooba Mufti. Works Minister Naeem Akhter (PDP) and Cooperatives Minister Chering Dorjey (BJP) are the other two. Rest all Ministers including the Chief Minister are MLAs.
With today’s inductions, Mehbooba Mufti has completed the strength of her Council of Ministry i.e. 25. As per the Jammu and Kashmir’s Constitution, the State can have maximum of 25 Ministers i.e. 20 per cent of total strength of both Houses of Legislature. In Parliament and other State Assemblies, the maximum limit of the Ministry is 15 per cent of total strength of the Lok Sabha and Assembly respectively.
This was second reshuffle of the Ministry by Mehbooba Mufti and third of PDP-BJP coalition Government.
At the time of formation of first-ever PDP-BJP coalition Government on March 1, 2015, PDP had 14 Ministers including 11 Cabinet (CM included) and three Ministers of State while BJP had 11 including six Cabinet (Sajjad Lone included) and five Ministers of State. On April 24, 2015, Mufti Sayeed carried out first reshuffle of his Ministry by elevating BJP’s two Ministers of State—Chering Dorjey and Abdul Ghani Kohli to the rank of Cabinet Ministers taking BJP’s strength in the Cabinet to eight.
On taking over as the Chief Minister on April 4, 2016, Mehbooba retained BJP’s strength at 11 (eight Cabinet and three Ministers of State) but downed PDP’s strength from 14 to 12 including nine Cabinet and three Ministers of State. She carried out first reshuffle of her Ministry on February 17, 2017 by inducting Altaf Bukhari as the Cabinet Minister taking number of PDP’s Cabinet Ministers to 10. With today’s inclusion of two more Cabinet Ministers from PDP, the party’s strength in the Cabinet has reached 12, four more than that of BJP. However, BJP now has three Ministers of State as against PDP’s two.
Out of PDP’s 14 Ministers, 13 are from Kashmir region and only one from Jammu while from among the BJP’s 11 Ministers, nine are from Jammu region and one each from Kashmir and Ladakh regions. PDP, which has 25 MLAs from Kashmir and three from Jammu, has all Ministers from one community. BJP has 25 MLAs from Jammu and two of People’s Conference, a pre-poll ally of the party, from Kashmir.
Both newly inducted Ministers—Tassaduq Hussain Mufti and Javed Mustafa Mir took oath in English. Javed Mustafa Mir was the first to take oath followed by Tassaduq Mufti. Oath ceremony just lasted six minutes.
Majority of Council of Ministers from both the coalition partners attended the oath ceremony including Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta.
Horticulture Minister Basharat Bukhari and Sports Minister Imran Raza Ansari, who had resigned after first reshuffle of Mehbooba Ministry on February 17, 2017, sulking over “insignificant portfolios’’ were conspicuous by their absence in the oath ceremony today. However, sources said Bukhari was abroad. They had withdrawn resignation later.
The Opposition parties too didn’t attend the oath ceremony. No leader from National Conference and Congress or Independent MLAs, were present at the oath ceremony.
Tassaduq Mufti, 45, previously served as the head of Mehbooba Mufti’s Grievance Cell. He had joined the State politics after his father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed died on January 7, 2016.
A noted cinematographer, Tassaduq Mufti joined the PDP at a gathering organized to commemorate his father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s first death anniversary on January 7 this year.
On December 22, he was nominated by the Governor as a member of the Legislative Council to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Vikramaditya Singh from the PDP on October 22.
“I will work hard for peace, progress and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir. My focus will be to infuse life in the tourism sector in J&K,” Tassaduq Mufti told reporters after taking oath as Cabinet Minister.
Asserting that situation in Kashmir is limping back to normalcy, Tassaduq said he will try to fulfill the dreams of his father late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
“I will try to fulfill the dreams of my father,’’ he said.
Tassaduq said, “Only time will tell about my contribution in restoring peace in the State.’’
He, however, said his actions will speak in the days to come and added that the youth of Kashmir is not ‘directionless’.
Javed Mustafa Mir, the other legislator inducted into the Cabinet, is an MLA from the Chadoora Assembly constituency and two-times Minister. He was a Minister of State in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Government in 2002 and a Cabinet Minister under him in 2015.
Mir, however, was dropped from the Council of Ministers when Mehbooba Mufti took over as Chief Minister in April 2016.
Javed Mir dispelled impression, in brief chat with reporters that he was not happy with the party leadership on being dropped from the Cabinet.
The BJP, a coalition partner in the ruling alliance in the State, welcomed the minor expansion of the Cabinet.
BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh said the expansion will give a boost to the Council of Ministers.
“We hope for a good result for the future,” Dr Singh said.
The PDP appeared to discourage any suggestion of differences within the party.
Naeem Akhtar, the Minister for Roads and Buildings, said Tassaduq Mufti’s entry will infuse young blood into the party and in the Government.
“We have a lot of hope from him. The professional element, young blood and young thoughts – the State will stand to benefit from his contribution,” Akhtar told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony.
Asked whether Tassaduq Mufti would be able to fill the void left by his father, the Minister said that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was a great leader.
“I don’t feel such a leader will ever emerge,” he said. “We need to work together to lessen the gap due to his absence.”
On December 22, when Tassaduq Mufti was nominated as a member of the State Legislative Council, then Minister of State for Haj and Auqaf, Syed Farooq Andrabi, had resigned from the Council of Ministers, citing “personal reasons”.
Andrabi had submitted his resignation to his niece Mehbooba Mufti and it was forwarded to the Governor, who accepted it.
Sidelights
*Governor NN Vohra reached the dais in sprawling lawns of the Raj Bhavan at sharp 11 am, the time fixed for oath ceremony. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh reached the venue about five minutes in advance.
*Oath ceremony lasted just six minutes. It was followed by group photograph of newly inducted Cabinet Ministers with sitting Ministers including the Chief Minister and the Governor.
*Tassaduq Mufti met all Ministers, legislators and others present at the ceremony before taking oath.
*PDP MLA Farooq Ahmad Andrabi, who recently resigned as Minister of State and also happens to be uncle of Mehbooba Mufti, was seen sitting with family members of Mehbooba and Tassaduq instead of with legislators.
*Tassaduq has become third MLC in the Council of Ministry after Works Minister Naeem Akhter and Cooperatives Minister Chering Dorjey
*No senior leader or legislators from Opposition parties including National Conference, Congress etc, attended the swearing-in ceremony .
*There was slip of tongue by Tassaduq Mufti while taking oath but he corrected himself immediately. Javed Mustafa Mir also slightly fumbled while taking oath.
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