Omar inducts 4 ministers, dissent spills over in NC ranks

SRINAGAR: J&K CM Omar Abdullah’s cabinet expansion triggered open dissent, protests and allegations of internal bias in National Conference after four ministers were inducted Tuesday.

MLA Abdul Majeed Larmi, who had expected a berth until the last moment, broke down and other legislators accused the party brass of shutting them out.Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath to Ali Mohammad Sagar, Shamima Firdous, Mir Saifullah and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo, taking the cabinet’s strength to nine, including Omar. He dropped Satish Sharma, leaving only two ministers from Jammu region — deputy CM Surinder Choudhary and Javed Ahmed Rana.Legislators alleged a lack of internal democracy. “I am a law graduate, while the MLA chosen has not even passed matriculation,” Larmi said.Independent MLA Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, who supports NC, boycotted the ceremony, alleging discrimination against Poonch-Rajouri. Khan plans to convene six independent MLAs supporting NC-led govt to discuss their next move.

Supporters of MLA Mubarak Gul protested at the party headquarters, while Nazir Ahmad Khan was said to be unhappy with the expansion.

Health minister Sakina Itoo dismissed the protests.The 90-member assembly allows a maximum of nine ministers, including the CM. Omar was sworn in on Oct 16, 2024, with five ministers. Three berths remained vacant for nearly two years.An NC legislator said the next three months would test whether the party brass could contain the anger. “The way the expansion was carried out has humiliated party legislators. There seems to be no democracy within the party,” he said.