- Friday, October 11, 2024
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and presented the letters of support from the coalition partners
By: Shajil Kumar
THE National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance Friday staked the claim to form government in Jammu and Kashmir as chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar.
During his meeting with Sinha, Abdullah presented the letters of support from the coalition partners, hours after Congress extended its support to the NC vice president.
Abdullah was unanimously elected as the leader of NC legislature party on Thursday, paving the way for his second term as the chief minister of J-K.
His first tenure as the chief minister was also as the head of the NC-Congress coalition government from 2009 to 2014.
The NC won 42 of the 90 seats for which elections were held in three phases with the alliance partner Congress bagging six seats. Although the two parties have a majority in the 95-member House, four Independents and the lone AAP MLA have also extended their support to the NC.
Talking to reporters at his residence after returning from the Raj Bhavan, Abdullah said he requested the LG to fix a date for swearing-in of the new government at the earliest.
“I met the LG and presented the letters of support from the NC, Congress, CPI(M), AAP and Independents who have supported the NC. I requested him to fix a date as soon as possible so that the oath ceremony takes place and the government elected by the people starts functioning,” the CM-designate said.
He said the oath ceremony is likely to take place on Wednesday.
“This process will take some time. It is not that an elected government is replacing another elected government. This is a central rule, we are a Union Territory, and the LG has to prepare documents and send them to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“From the Rashtrapati Bhavan, they will go to the Home Ministry where they will do their paperwork and then the documents will be sent back. We have been told that it will take at least two-three days. I hope that if this process is completed at the earliest, then the oath ceremony will take place on Wednesday,” Abdullah added.
Earlier in the day, the six Congress MLAs met here and authorised the party high command in New Delhi to nominate the leader of its legislature party.
After the meeting, JKPCC president Tariq Karra said the CLP meeting unanimously decided to give the right to the central leadership to take the call on the CLP leader.
Shun rigid approach: Tarigami
CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami has said the new government in Jammu and Kashmir must not be rigid in its dealings with the BJP-led Centre, but should do whatever is possible to convey the demands of the people here to New Delhi.
“We will do whatever is possible on our part to convey a strong message to the government in Delhi, the demands of the people here and appeal to them to listen to the ground situation in Kashmir. There should be no rigidity.
“We have to move forward and for that the restoration of the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is key. We will together demand that on the floor of the House,” Tarigami, whose party is part of a pre-poll alliance involving the National Conference (NC) and Congress, told PTI Videos in an interview.
Tarigami was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for a fifth consecutive time from south Kashmir’s Kulgam seat in the recently-held polls.
The MLA-elect said the new government is the only hope for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and “we will not disappoint them”.
Tarigami said every institution in the country is bound by the Constitution to respect the mandate of people, including in Jammu and Kashmir. “That will not be a favour to us, that is our legitimate right,” he added.
On being elected to the Assembly for the fifth time, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader said people’s love and his long-standing relationship with them were key to his success.
“They know me, they know what I have done for them and what I have not and they are the real judges. I have always respected and appreciated their judgment. I do not have much more to say. They are wise and they know how to make choices, not only in Kulgam but elsewhere as well,” he said. (PTI)
