NC-Congress part ways amid verbal brawl

Open mudslinging exposes 6 years of misdeeds
Sameer Lone

Srinagar:  After rubbing shoulders with each other for past six years, National Conference (NC)-Congress coalition is ending at a bitter note with ministers of the both the parties at loggerheads against each other over back-door appointments, favoritism and mis-governance.

The top leaders and ministers of both are openly slinging mud at each and trading the harsh words like “communal…blackmailers and anti-Muslim”.

The Pandora box of misdeeds of past six years of their governance became wide open when Former PHE minister and Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma revealed that NC ministers, Muhammad Akbar Lone and Abdul Rahim Rather are “big blackmailers who tried to blackmail me.” In counter attack the NC leaders termed Sharma a ‘communal’ and anti-Muslim.

“People like Sharma with communal mindset will never make it to the Assembly unless they don’t indulge in the politics of hatred and communalism. “Sharma knows, he will gain only by playing communal politics,” says National Conference legislator, Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal.

However, in their last days both the coalition partners while taking undue advantage of the recent foods, managed to do a selective overhaul in the civil and police administration.

“Large scale transfers and postings, massive backdoor appointments and other favoritism have been reported in various departments,” official sources disclosed.

These unwanted postings and transfers even forced the Election Commission of India, to intervene. The ECI directed all the District Election Officers of the State to furnish lists of officers and officials, who have been overstaying on their respective posts, and those posted in their home districts within two days positively.

The ECI’s move has come as a relief for the other political parties who believe that it will to end any chances of favoritism in the upcoming elections. “All the political postings, promotions, filling Of PSC Members made during last Cabinet meetings should be quashed by the Election Commission,” BJP leader Fayaz Ahmad Bhat said.

The Chief Election Officer J&K has also reportedly stayed the operation of the order of Rural Development Department.

“Large number of Block Development Officers (BDOs) were transferred by mentioning the back date and directed all the DEOs to straight forward refuse to obey all those orders of the Government departments, which violates the ECI guidelines keeping in view the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct,” official sources said. They added majority of BDOs were shifted from one place to another.