Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Singh was assigned two additional portfolios on Tuesday, which fell vacant after the resignation of two BJP Ministers in the wake of the Kathua rape-and-murder case.
The decision has fuelled a rebellion within the party as BJP leaders insisted on “immediate reallocation of portfolios”. Party sources said all nine BJP Ministers have offered to resign before the State BJP president Sat Sharma, apparently miffed at the delay in reallocation.
“No resignation was accepted and all leaders were asked to resume work,” said a senior BJP leader.
“I know nothing about such a development (regarding BJP Ministers’ resignations),” senior BJP leader and J&K Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta said.
‘No impact on govt.’
The Ministers’ move to offer resignations also came after BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna, who is in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, held a meeting of the party’s core group in Jammu.
He is said to have “dropped broad hints of the next reshuffle inducting fresh faces in the Cabinet and relieving non-performing ministers”.
A senior BJP leader clarified that the resignations “would have no implications on the PDP-BJP coalition government”.
“We had a meeting in Jammu about the party structure. The party took stock of development projects for which funds were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how to implement them,” BJP’s Kashmir spokesman Khalid Jehangeer said.
Sources said Mr. Khanna also conveyed the party high command’s directions to the BJP leaders, especially on how to tackle the situation in the wake of the Kathua rape controversy. The case led to resignation of two senior BJP ministers Chander Prakash Ganga and Chowdhary lal Singh from the portfolios of Departments of Industries and Commerce; and Forest, Ecology and Environment respectively.
“The message was conveyed that integrity of J&K is important as there are people who want to divide people. Being a nationalist party we have to counter their nefarious designs,” said Mr. Jehangeer.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti allocated the BJP portfolios as per the part directions.
