Srinagar, Apr 4: Two days ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s three-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir, a meeting of the legislators of the ruling National Conference (NC) and its alliance partners began here on Friday amid growing disquiet between the Raj Bhavan and the six-month-old government in the Union Territory.The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and also attended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, began at Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary’s residence at the Gupkar here.
The Cabinet ministers, all MLAs of the NC, and three Congress legislators led by chief whip Nizamuddin Bhat are attending the meeting.
The unscheduled meeting of the alliance partners comes in the backdrop of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordering transfer and posting of 48 officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS).
The controversial transfer of 48 bureaucrats three days ago led to the latest flashpoint between the Raj Bhavan and the Abdullah government which regards the LG’s move as violation of the legal and administrative framework under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act.
The meeting of the ruling alliance comes two days ahead of the home minister’s visit to the Union Territory following the recent spate of terror activities in the Kathua district of Jammu region. Shah is arriving on April 6 and is scheduled to chair security review meetings in both Jammu and Srinagar during his three-day visit.
Before entering the meeting, NC MLA from Sonawari Hilal Akbar Lone said the Raj Bhavan is “undermining” the elected government.
He said the meeting would discuss the steps required to be taken so that such things do not recur.
Abdullah has written to Sinha asking him to review the unilateral decision, saying that the transfers and postings of officers outside the All India Services cadre was the exclusive prerogative of the elected government.Such orders undermine the functioning and authority of the elected government, Abdullah asserted in the letter.
Abdullah is said to have taken up the matter with Home Minister Shah, complaining that a series of actions by the LG, including the transfers, “eroded” the authority of his government.
Abdullah has also directed Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to ensure that no transfer or posting orders for non-All India Services officers are issued without his prior approval.
He has specifically asked the chief secretary to keep the transfer orders of the 48 JKAS officers in abeyance.
In a show of solidarity, the Congress also criticised Sinha’s decision, saying the LG should have awaited approval of the business rules before proceeding with the transfers.
Gulam Ahmed Mir, the Congress’ national general secretary and leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in the J-K Assembly, said that the LG should have exercised more patience, asserting that such actions could “undermine confidence” in the administration.
