CM hosts breakfast to pacify coalition partner

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 28

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has stepped in to placate the BJP, its coalition partner, which is annoyed over the alleged discrimination in distribution of development funds.

The Chief Minister hosted a breakfast meeting with BJP ministers and legislators, who called on him this morning to air their grievances.

Sources said the Chief Minister tried to calm the brewing anger among BJP legislators by assuring them that all issues raised by them would be addressed immediately with utmost care.

During the one-and-a-half-hour-long meeting, Mufti reiterated the commitment of his government of balanced and equitable development of all regions and sub-regions of the state.

“A majority of MLAs aired their anger about the discrimination against the Jammu region in sanctioning funds for road connectivity,” said a BJP legislator on the condition of anonymity.

The legislators mentioned that the Kashmir division was being given priority as far as sanctioning of road projects was concerned even though there was a pressing need to spread the road network in hilly regions of Jammu province in Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts.

The MLA said party legislators expressed their resentment over the functioning of Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, who was not taking legislators into confidence while finalising important decisions.

During the meeting, BJP ministers and legislators demanded in one voice the immediate withdrawal of service tax imposed on chopper service to the Vaishno Devi shrine, a source said. Keeping in view the growing anger, it was necessary to withdraw the tax, the source added.

The sources said Minister of State for Finance Pawan Gupta placed before the Chief Minister a number of important decisions which were taken arbitrarily by his Cabinet colleague without taking him into confidence.

The sources said the Chief Minister assured BJP ministers and legislators that no region would be discriminated against in allocation of funds. He assured them that all important decisions would be taken after thorough discussions and consultations.

As reported earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh boycotted a meeting held at November 24 to review the implementation of decisions taken during District Development Board meetings in the Kashmir valley.

The Deputy Chief Minister, also Minister for Power Development, was annoyed with Drabu over the direct fund transfer of Rs 10 crore in favour of a company repairing transformers without consulting him.