Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday urged party legislators seeking ministerial berths not to lobby via WhatsApp ahead of the cabinet reshuffle, as the list has already been finalised.
Speaking to reporters shortly after meeting Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhawan in Srinagar, Abdullah said he had sought time from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for the exercise.
“Yes, it (reshuffle) certainly was (discussed). I requested time from him for the expansion and asked him that in the first two to three days of next week, I will carry out the expansion and certain changes in my Council of Ministers,” the chief minister said.
He said the lieutenant governor would fix a time for the exercise, following which the expansion would take place.
Referring to the mad race, Abdullah appealed to his party colleagues and MLAs not to approach him or National Conference president Farooq Abdullah seeking ministerial berths, saying the list has already been finalised after consultations.
“After consultations with Dr Farooq Abdullah, the list has been finalised. There is no need to knock on Farooq Sahib’s door, my door, or anyone else’s door. The decision of who will become a minister is not pending; it has already been made. So, I request my colleagues to please be patient,” he said.
Abdullah said whatever is destined to happen is determined by the Almighty and urged his colleagues to refrain from sending messages or making phone calls to lobby for ministerial positions.
“Please stop sending WhatsApp messages. I am receiving endless, lengthy messages... entire books are being written, sending full biodatas as if I don’t know who they are! I already know them and their work,” he said.
“Whatever has to happen will take place in the next two to three days,” he added.
Abdullah said he also enquired about Sinha’s health, as the Lieutenant Governor had not been keeping well over the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Saturday reiterated its demand for the restoration of full statehood, making it clear that the party would continue to stay out of the Omar Abdullah-led Cabinet until its concerns over statehood and constitutional safeguards were addressed.
J&K Congress working president Raman Bhalla said the party remained firm on its position that the restoration of full statehood was essential to ensuring justice for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and protecting their land, jobs and natural resources.
“The Congress has always maintained that the people of Jammu and Kashmir must get back their full-fledged statehood,” Bhalla said, reiterating the party’s long-standing position on the issue.