The coalition partners — Congress and the National Conference — on Wednesday claimed to have brokered a peace deal over the issue of creation of new administrative units thus temporarily defusing the tension which had escalated after Omar Abdullah threatened to resign.
Though Chief Minister himself maintained eerie silence over the issue from a safe distance but deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, belonging to the Congress, dropped clear hints that the coalition would remain intact and complete its full term in office.
Tara Chand along with two other Cabinet Ministers reached Jammu early morning after attending late night meeting with AICC incharge J&K Affairs Ambika Soni, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and PCC chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz.
It is learnt the contours of the peace deal were okayed during the high level meeting and the decision of the party high command was also communicated to the National Conference top brass including Chief Minister who was camping in Gulmarg.
In Jammu Cabinet, sub- committee on new administrative units held another meeting at the State guest house and thrashed the contentious issues bothering the alliance partners before giving final touches to their report.
Emerging from the meeting at least three senior National Conference Ministers Mir Saifullah (Parliamentary and law Affairs), Ajay Sadhotra (Planning) and Mohd Akbar lone (Higher Education) also downplayed the reports of simmering tension within the alliance partners and claimed Omar-led Government was not facing any threat at this juncture.
“The coalition Government would complete its full term adding there was no tension among the alliance partners over the issue of creation of new administrative units”. The National Conference Ministers maintained the Cabinet sub-committee report would be submitted before the Cabinet meeting scheduled to take place on February 1, 2014.
The minor issues of misrepresentation to certain remote pockets and hilly areas have been amicably resolved, members of the Cabinet sub-committee belonging to the National Conference told reporters after attending meeting at the State guest house.
Earlier in the morning, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand told reporters outside Jammu airport, “The Cabinet sub-committee has almost compiled the report based on the recommendations it had received during their whirlwind tour across 22 districts of the State”. He said we have received representations to create more than 2,000 administrative units in the State. He said the State Cabinet would take a final call on the issue of creation of new administrative units.
Tara Chand said, the Cabinet sub-committee will be submitting its report ahead of the February 1 ,2014 Cabinet meeting paving the way for the Cabinet to examine reports of Mushtaq Ganai committee and Cabinet sub-committee.The ball is in the court of the Cabinet now and the final decision would be taken during the meeting, he added. National Conference Ministers also claimed after the Cabinet sub-committee would submit its report the final decision would be taken by the Cabinet over the exact number of administrative units.
Elaborating on the background of the Cabinet sub-committee, Deputy Chief Minister lost no opportunity to give credit for the entire exercise to his mentor Ghulam Nabi Azad and claimed the Congress was committed to strike a balance in all three regions of the State by giving them fair representation. He said when Azad was heading the Government in the State eight new districts were created in 2007. SS Bloreia committee was also constituted to create new administrative units. But after the fall of the Azad Government in July 2008 the task was assigned to retired IAS officer Mushtaq Ganai by the Omar Abdullah-led alliance Government.
Tara Chand said when the Ganai committee report was placed before the Cabinet several Ministers belonging to the Congress and the National Conference had raised the issue of misrepresentation as certain gaps were there in the report. The State Cabinet had then constituted the Cabinet sub-committee to fill the gap and give due representation to neglected areas to complete the entire exercise. After attending the meeting and evolving a broad consensus among the members of the committee, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand flew back to New Delhi to brief the party high command.