A ruling-party legislator, Javed Iqbal Choudhary, elected from the Budhal Assembly segment in Rajouri, has once again created a piquant situation for the National Conference top brass by labelling Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary a ‘Thug’ in a social media post.
The recent spat has once again brought simmering dissent within the ruling party to centre stage.
In a social media post, NC MLA Javed Iqbal Choudhary was asked, “What’s cooking in J&K Politics”? “Yesterday, absent from the Deputy CM’s event. Today, meeting the Lieutenant Governor. Budhal MLA Javed Iqbal Choudhary’s timing has certainly caught political attention.
Routine courtesy call, constituency-related concerns, or a larger political message? What’s cooking in J&K politics? In response, Javed Iqbal Choudhary wrote back, “The Dy CM is a thug and does not deserve my presence at his functions. My self-respect and the interests of my people come first.”
At the time of filing the report, no show-cause notice was served to the party MLA from Budhal for publicly showing disrespect to the Deputy CM.
When this correspondent contacted the legislator to know the reasons behind his nasty remarks against the Deputy CM, he could not be reached.
His mobile phone also remained switched off till late Saturday evening.
Interestingly, posting an image with LG Manoj Sinha, NC MLA Javed Iqbal Choudhary had posted on his social media page, “During the meeting, I discussed various issues concerning the Haj pilgrimage and also took up several important matters related to the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, highlighting the concerns and aspirations of the people of this region.
I am grateful to the LG for giving a patient hearing to the issues raised.
Javed Iqbal Choudhary, along with several other legislators from the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch, had earlier accused the Deputy CM of discriminating against their constituencies during their meeting with the Chief Minister in Dachigam on June 3.
As the rift widened, in the absence of any communication with the party high command, around one dozen legislators boycotted the oath ceremony of newly inducted members of the council of ministers on October 27. The dissenting NC legislators held several rounds of discussions seeking justice from the party high command. To contain the situation, Dr Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah invited them to a closed-door meeting at their residence in Srinagar on November 6.
Emerging out of the meeting, Dr Abdullah dismissed reports of a possible split in the party as baseless, saying the concerns raised by around 16 legislators were genuine and would be addressed by the leadership.
During the meeting, the dissenting MLAs had submitted a memorandum to the party high command, seeking a change of portfolios under the charge of Deputy CM, Surinder Chourdhary. To pacify the legislators Dr Abdullah had also proposed constituting informal advisory groups of MLAs, with each group attached to a member of the Council of Ministers.
Abdullah had stated that these MLAs would act as a bridge between the party and the government. “Ministers will be asked to hold regular meetings with their advisory groups and keep them informed of major policy initiatives and the progress being made in their respective departments,” he stated in a letter addressed to party legislators.
Political observers claimed the recent spat between the NC MLA and the Deputy CM is likely to trigger another round of infighting within the National Conference in coming days, as most of demands listed in memorandam have not been met by the top brass of party.