| Font Size |
When the scandal was exposed in 2006, the names of two former ministers, including Congress minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir, had surfaced. He was arrested by the CBI on June 20, 2006, and released on bail after five months.
As the scandal disappeared from the headlines, Mir returned to his constituency to clear his name with his support base. The Congress forgave him and gave him the party ticket to contest from Dooru constituency, where he had won in 2002. He has won again.
Before the scandal expose, Mir was deemed to be a very powerful Congress leader in Kashmir. Now, he is eyeing a Cabinet berth again. However, there is a lot of opposition to his induction, as it will provide an easy tool for the opposition PDP and BJP to pin down the new Government. In fact, the PDP had dismissed one of its legislators after his name appeared in the scandal to gain a political moral high ground.
The NC had consistently tried to raise the scandal during its campaign and accused the former Congress-PDP coalition Government of shielding its tainted politicians. NC patron and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah had promised to re-investigate the scandal if voted to power.
Sources said the NC would oppose the induction of tainted leaders in its discussions with the Congress.
The other tainted legislator is former Pradesh Congress Committee chief and minister Peerzada Sayeed. He won from Kokernag constituency on a Congress ticket. Peerzada had been forced to resign by the then chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad from his Cabinet due to his involvement in rural electrification scam as Rural Development Minister and allegations by a legislator that he had taken Rs 40,000 as bribe from his sister, promising her a government job. Now that he has won again on a Congress ticket, he too aspires to get a Cabinet berth.
Though the Congress’ traditional base is the Hindu heartland in Jammu, the Congress’s top Hindu leadership has lost the polls which has made its search for a deputy chief minister from Jammu difficult. Former deputy CM Mangat Ram Sharma is among the losers. The only choice is former speaker Tara Chand but his name too has been tainted by allegations of involvement in the sex scandal levelled by fellow Congress leaders.
Now, the senior most Congress leader in Jammu, Choudhary Aslam, former PCC chief and Gurjjar leader who has been with the party since 1967, is the frontrunner. However, sources said the party was trying to get a senior leader, who was defeated in the recent polls, inducted into the Cabinet to fill the deputy CM’s post.
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|
OMAR,1) KEEP PRESSURE ON CORRUPT/TAINTED CONGRESSMEN- NO ONE CLOSE TO POWER.2) SELECT WISE, ENERGETIC YOUNG GENERATION IN STATE GOVERNMENT3) USE YOUR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MONEY DISTRIBUTE FAIRLY TO ALL SEGMENTS OF JAMMU CASHMERE AND LADAKH.4) MAKE ALL LAWS FAIR TO ALL SEGMENT OF YOUR STATE.5) WHEN YOUR PARTY JOINT UPA- MAKE SURE TO CLEAN UP ALL PARTIES OF UPA FROM CORRUPTION- THIS LAST ONE FOR MOTHER INDIA
Abdullas know it better that there are no non-corrupt congress people in the party.Both arebsailing in the same boat of helping Pakistan against our country which is the minimum programe of theirs.
There should not be problem in Congress scheme of things. BOFOR chors can rule Delhi, then some sex scandalist can rule Kashmir too. Recently a Guru of murder was elevated to CM job in Jharkand and nothing happened. I never heard any serious complaints from the IBN/NDTV lipstick journos either. Unless it is BJP involved in the scandal it is all forgiven. One of the senior leaders from Kerala is the whip of Congress in Rajya Sabha who too was involved in a notorious sex scandal and escaped by political maneuvering and got the best job in Delhi.So carry on guys, all are forgiven, keep the same class rule once more.
What will Omer Abdullah do to one of his MLA's wh is openly supporting a revunue official of J