Governor rule stares in face of JK Vohra submits report to New Delhi as Omar decides to step down Union Cabinet likely to meet today for deliberation MUDDASIR ALI Srinagar, Jan 8: Jammu and Kashmir is heading for Governor’s rule with Governor NN Vohra Thursday submitting a report to New Delhi on the political crisis in the State after Omar Abdullah asked him to relieve him as the caretaker Chief Minister. Vohra is likely to make a formal recommendation to the Government of India on imposition of Governor’s rule in the State, on Friday, which is likely to be deliberated by the union cabinet in the evening, sources told Greater Kashmir. Vohra’s report is understood to contain “a few suggestions” on the political impasse in the state as no political party has so far come up with the numbers required to form the government after the election results threw up a fractured mandate. The prospects of the Governor’s rule became inevitable Thursday after Omar asked Vohra to relieve him, citing only a full-time Chief Minister can handle problems facing the people. “Just to confirm I did meet Gov Vohra sahib last night & ask him to relieve me as caretaker CM. I had agreed to stay temporarily,” Omar, who returned from London yesterday, tweeted. Soon after the election results were declared on December 23, Omar resigned as the Chief Minister the next day. However the Governor asked him to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister. Sources said Raj Bhavan had asked Omar to continue for one week, expecting the new Government to be in place by then. On Wednesday, the Governor, who is in New Delhi, met the Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami to discuss the political stalemate in Jammu and Kashmir. Omar also met the Governor there. Sources said since Omar has now offered to step down, he “can’t be compelled to carry on” till the new dispensation takes over. Though the term of Omar-led government was ending on January 19 following which the state would have automatically come under the Governor rule in case no party was able to cobble up the required number of 44 MLAs to form the government, Omar’s move has only hastened this possibility. In a series of tweets, Omar defended his decision to step down, saying the hardships faced by flood-affected people in the state could only be taken care of by the full-fledged government. “I had assumed government formation would be a matter of week or 10 days. (But) today we seem even further away from that goal than we were 10 days ago. Given the situation on the border with 10,000 displaced, the hardships of winter & the continuing need for relief for flood affected, I believe the interests of the state will only be served by a full time administrator & not a caretaker with no mandate to govern,” Omar said. Omar continued with his attack on PDP saying it was for them to “explain to people that with 28 MLAs and offers of support from two other parties (National Conference and Congress) why the state has central rule?”. The PDP which emerged as single largest party with 28 seats is in touch with the BJP—which won 25 seats in Jammu—on government formation. Though the National Conference with 15 members and Congress with 12 too offered their “unconditional support” to the PDP, the party didn’t react officially. The “informal” talks between the PDP and BJP have not made any headway.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 01:03:40 +0000