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Congress
leader Ghulam Nabi Azad with Jammu & Kashmir governor Girish
Saxena: any price for power
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IOL
South Asia Correspondent
New
Delhi, October 18 (IslamOnline)-The stalemate over formation of the next
government in Jammu and Kashmir state continued Thursday, October 17, as
the two prospective coalition partners, Congress and Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), insisted on keeping the post of chief minister. Matters
have been further complicated by Farooq Abdullah's refusal to continue
as caretaker Chief Minister.
PDP’s
demand for chief ministership sounds hollow as it got only 16 seats
compared to Congress Party’s 20 in the 87-member legislative assembly.
To form government it needs a minimum of 44 seats. Communist Party
(Marxist), Panthers Party and independents come inevitably in the
reckoning.
On
occasions like this, “purchase and sale” of independent candidates
is almost a time-honoured tradition. The going rate for each member of
assembly is Rs 20 million [US$ 417,000] according to a report in today's
Kashmir Times. This is quite a steep price for a country with a per
capita GDP of about $400.
The
state governor GC Saxena has extended the date for government formation
from October 17 to October 21, keeping in view the uncertain situation.
Some
sources said PDP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had agreed to be part of a
Congress-led government. In that case Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress
Party would be the chief minister.
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Former
federal home minister Mufti Sayeed: adamant to become chief
minister
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Mufti
Sayeed, former federal home minister, has so far been insisting on being
chief minister despite his party’s fewer seats on the specious
reasoning that his members of legislative assembly (MLAs) had won from
Kashmir region largely, while most Congress MLAs came from Jammu. This
is mere sophistry because Jammu and Kashmir form a single entity, with a
single legislative assembly.
Mufti
Sayeed’s logic seems to suggest that 16 MLAs from the valley are
better than 20 from other regions, which is dangerous delusion. This
blatant greed for power has disappointed everybody interested in change.
The
stalemate has raised the expectations of independents who have been
angling for a big harvest in the form of ministerial berths and other
goodies that come with power. A group of eight independents who were to
announce their support to one of the contenders for chief ministership
held back their support saying "they were in no hurry to disclose
their choice,” Kashmir Times reported today, Oct. 17.
There
were other indications suggesting a spell of governor’s rule before
the contesting parties came to their senses. According to sources in the
valley, Congress party would not mind a brief spell of governor’s
rule.
It
is this political chicanery that is behind much of the state’s
problems since it tasted "democracy" after accession to India
in 1948.
