Tension in INDIA bloc? No Congress minister in Omar Abdullah govt creates buzz

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah has taken charge in Jammu and Kashmir, but the Congress, which contested the election together, has decided to stay away from the government.

Today, Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Along with him, five ministers -- Sakina Masood, Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma -- also took the oath of office. 

While Masood and Dar are from the Kashmir valley, Rana, Choudhary, and Sharma are from the Jammu region. NC MLA Surinder Singh Choudhary, who defeated state BJP chief Ravinder Raina, was appointed Deputy Chief Minister, giving representation to Jammu in the new government.

The Congress said it will not join the council of ministers for the moment. JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra said the Congress will not join the council of ministers in J-K for the moment as it is unhappy that statehood has not been restored. 

However, reports suggest that the Congress did not join the government as it was upset over Cabinet berths offered by the NC. According to reports, Omar Abdullah offered 1 Cabinet berth to the Congress, but the grand old party wanted 2.  

BJP's Amit Malviya took a jibe at the Congress for not being given space in the government in Jammu and Kashmir. In a tweet, Malviya said: "Not only in Haryana, Congress’s dream of coming to power in Jammu and Kashmir also stand shattered. JKNC has kept them out of the Govt. Rahul Gandhi’s party won a measly 6 (7 candidates won as independents) seats despite contesting 32 (as part of alliance) + 6 (contested against NC) seats."

In the assembly polls, the NC bagged 42 out of the 90 seats while its alliance partner Congress bagged just 6. Together, the NC and Congress hold a majority in the 95-member assembly -- five members are to be nominated by the LG. In 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Abdullah is the third generation of the Abdullah family to occupy the office, after his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah, and father Farooq Abdullah.

Even though Congress did not join the government, its top leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge attended the swearing-in ceremony at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).  

INDIA bloc leaders such as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Left leaders Prakash Karat and D Raja, DMK's Kanimozhi, and NCP's Supriya Sule were also present.  

Omar Abdullah's family, including his father Farooq Abdullah, mother Molly Abdullah, his two sisters, and two sons were present on the occasion. Omar's first term as chief minister was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state.

(With inputs from PTI)