Minor cabinet reshuffle triggers crisis in PDP, two Ministers resign

Decision guided by conscience, says Bukhari

‘Ministers rewarded’ – Omar takes jibe at Mehbooba

ZAFAR CHOUDHARY

JAMMU: A minor reshuffle in Mehbooba Mufti’s Council of Ministers has rocked the ruling People’s Democratic Party with an organisational crisis as two Cabinet Ministers are believed to have resigned on not only being unhappy with allocation of their portfolios but also on how ‘party affairs are being conducted’.
Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari, PDP’s second time MLA from Sangrama constituency in Baramulla, who was the Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation in Mehbooba government since April 2006 resigned on change of his department to Horticulture. Bukhari confirmed his resignation to The News Now. Another Minister, Imran Raza Ansari, representing Pattan constituency in Baramulla, is also reported to have resigned as Minister for Sports. Even as Ansari was not immediately available for confirmation but sources said that he was expecting elevation to a ‘better department’ as being promised since April last year.
The crisis erupted Friday afternoon soon after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti effected a minor reshuffle of portfolios of four Ministers following swearing in of hitherto estranged PDP MLA from Amirakadal Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari.
Even as the Chief Minister herself held additional charge of three department –Tourism, Planning and Development and Horticulture –but to create space for Altaf Bukhari she created a chain of reshuffle which affected four Ministers –Abdul Rehman Veeri, Basharat Bukhari, Naeem Akhtar and Haseeb Drabu.
In pursuance of Rule-5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Government Business rules the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti assigned the charge of various departments to the ministers. Abdul Rehman Veeri, who was the Minister for Works, was assigned the charge of Ministry of Revenue, Disaster Management, Relief Rehabilitation & Reconstruction and Parliamentary Affairs; Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari, who was the Minister for Revenue was assigned the charge of relatively lesser important Horticulture Department; Haseeb Drabu was divested of the charge of Culture department and oredred to hold charge of Finance Labour & Employment; Naeem Akhtar, who was the Minister for Education, was assigned the charge of Public Works Department and Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, who was inducted in the Cabinet earlier in the day, was allotted the charge of Education Department. In his previous tenure in Mufti Sayeed government, Altaf Bukhari was the Minister for Works. Chief Minister
Sources said that Basharat Bukhari wrote a detailed letter to the Chief Minister outlining reasons for his resignation. He is believed to have mentioned a long list of reasons detailing conduct of party affairs in which many grassroots level leaders feel sidelined.
“My decision is guided purely by my conscience and self esteem”, Basharat Bukhari is reported to have told a close confidante.
In his first reaction to twin resignations of PDP cabinet ministers, former chief minister and NC working president Omar Abdullah Friday said that the PDP will take long to come out of this damage.
In his couple of tweets, Omar wrote that “Mehbooba will continue in office with the support of New Delhi but the damage she is doing to her party will take a long time to put right.”
Taking jibe at Mehbooba Mufti, Omar in his tweet asked whether the two ministers were rewarded for their ‘spirited defense of government in recent assembly session, “Both PDP ministers who resigned today had put up a spirited defence of the CM & her government in the assembly session. Fair reward?”