By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar : The clouds of uncertainty and controversies have once again started hovering over the skies of coalition alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. Qazi Muhammad Afzal, Minister for Housing and Urban Development Department and `Man Friday’ of former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed tendered his resignation from the state cabinet, here today.
The resignation comes in the wake of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s decision on Sunday to strip Qazi Afzal, of Forest and Environment portfolio. Though the senior leadership in Congress and PDP were trying to solve the controversy mutually, sources said Qazi has felt betrayed and humiliated forcing him to quit from the state cabinet.
Though the political analysts and observers were still guessing the exact reason behind Azad’s decision, sources said there is `something serious in the bottom of this affair’. There were reports that Azad took the decision after receiving the report of an undercover investigation in the affairs of forest department.
What ever be the reason, observers believe that the resignation of the minister has started a fresh row of controversy between the two coalition partners, Peoples Democratic Party and Congress, in the state.
Talking to the News Agency of Kashmir Qazi said that he has taken the decision to quit after consulting his party leadership.
“I was waiting for the return of party chief patron and party president from New Delhi”, he said adding “They told me that PDP was not taken into confidence by the chief minister in this regard”. “I have taken this ‘conscious’ decision to respect the verdict of voters of my constituency”, he adds.
Qazi Afzal further denied any knowledge on what prompted chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to take this decision as neither he nor his party leadership was informed about such important event.
He said that if chief minister was having any grievances or any complaints against him, he should have either informed his party leadership or consulted him regarding the same.
Qazi Mohammad Afzal said that while one is heading the department, he has to go by the book and “rules cannot be flouted for the sake of just pleasing somebody”. There has to be a proper procedure in this regard.
The PDP as well as the Congress leadership was, however, not available for comments. The sources, however, informed that following the sudden developments, all the MLAs and ministers have been asked to prepare themselves for the next Assembly elections.