- 9 minutes ago
A political crisis has surfaced within the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, with 17 MLAs mounting a rebellion and demanding the removal of cabinet ministers. The dissident legislators, consisting of 16 National Conference MLAs and one independent MLA from Thanamandi, held a meeting with party patriarch Dr Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at their Gupkar residence in Srinagar. The disgruntled MLAs have demanded a complete restructuring of the cabinet, the removal of ministers who have completed two years in office including the Deputy Chief Minister, and the ouster of advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani. Citing governance deficits, poor ministerial performance, and repeated humiliation of senior party legislators following the recent cabinet expansion, the dissident leaders have called for transparent consultations with the legislature party. The meeting follows four separate huddles by the aggrieved MLAs, coming amid internal resentment within the National Conference following the recent resignation of Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi.
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NewsTranscript
00:00The top news coming in from Jammu and Kashmir.
00:03What's happening? Is Omar Abdullah government counting its days?
00:06National Conference rebel MLAs meeting Farouk Abdullah at his residence.
00:10So just like India today had first broken to you yesterday evening, remember ladies and gentlemen.
00:15Now we can confirm to you, 17 National Conference MLAs demanding removal of JNK ministers.
00:23Right after the oath ceremony that had happened recently, you could sense that there were some who were not happy,
00:29that they were not included in the cabinet.
00:31So what is the demand?
00:33Remove these ministers, including the Deputy Chief Minister, in two weeks.
00:37So these are 17 MLAs of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, primarily from the Kashmir Valley,
00:42who are asking for removal of JNK ministers, including the Deputy Chief.
00:46This is a letter that's been dated 30th October.
00:50It's also already been sent where the MLAs have demanded the removal of all cabinet ministers.
00:56And if there was one reporter who was constantly tracking this from day one,
01:00who also broke it first here on India Today, Sunil Ji Bhatt is now with that confirmation coming in with
01:06more details.
01:08Sunil Ji, so they are now meeting Farouk Abdullah, just like you had reported last evening on the news break.
01:12But tell me more about this letter.
01:15What is their demand and removal of all ministers?
01:19Sunil, what does that even mean?
01:22Absolutely, Pooja.
01:24The dissident MLAs of the National Conference are currently, you know,
01:28in a meeting with an N.C. patriarch, Dr. Farouk Abdullah,
01:32at his Srinagar residence on the Gupta Road.
01:35The dissident MLAs have very candidly and very categorically stated
01:40that there should be restructuring of the cabinet
01:44and all the ministers who have completed two years in office,
01:48including Deputy Chief Minister, should, you know, be removed.
01:52They have also demanded removal of advisor to Chief Minister,
01:57that is Nasser Aslamwani.
01:59They want that fresh cabinet should be constituted after due consultation
02:04with the entire National Conference, you know, Legislature Party.
02:10As far as these MLAs are concerned,
02:14the signatories to this, you know, memorandum or you can say demands,
02:19the list of demands are 16 disgruntled National Conference MLAs
02:25and one independent MLAs from Rajuri District,
02:28Thana Mandi, Muzaffar Iqbal.
02:29He is also a signatory to this, you know, the charter of demand.
02:35Most of them are senior MLAs here.
02:39Sunil Ji, I request you to please stay on with me.
02:41So, Sunil from Jammu,
02:43Meer Fareed from Srinagar,
02:44tracking and giving you all the big exclusives on the story.
02:47Fareed is now joining me live from Srinagar as well.
02:49Fareed, over to you.
02:50My point is, what is the trigger here that you think
02:54led to the sort of rebellion that we are witnessing?
02:58Because if they are meeting Dr. Farouk Abdullah and not Omar,
03:01that also says a lot.
03:08Well, Pooja, let me clarify you
03:10because right now these MLAs are meeting both the Abdullahs,
03:14means Farouk Abdullah as well as Omar Abdullah.
03:17Right now I am outside the residence of Farouk Abdullah here in Gupkar
03:21and moments back, in fact, 5-10 minutes back,
03:25the MLAs, 15 of whom have entered
03:28and they are meeting Farouk and Omar right now.
03:31As we have been reporting non-stop on this controversy,
03:36last 10 days, these MLAs have had at least four meetings.
03:40The latest one, late last night when they were in Hadal,
03:43had retired Justice Hassan and Masoodi's residence
03:47and again they were trying to give final shape to their demands,
03:50their resolution.
03:51We accessed an exclusive quarter where you can clearly see demands
03:57which they are sticking to.
03:59They have not changed their demands.
04:00They are still demanding that Omar Abdullah relieve his ministers,
04:04all of them,
04:05and a new cabinet is formulated
04:07with due consultation with the legislature party.
04:10Immediately, I mean, they want that Nasir Aslovani,
04:14who is the advisor,
04:16he should go.
04:18He should go.
04:20He is one of the big reasons
04:22for all the internal strife within the party.
04:25He is someone who is in a very close coterie of Omar Abdullah
04:28and they believe that he is the wall between Omar and the MLAs
04:33and all the demands of the MLAs,
04:36including their works, their constituency works.
04:38But what are they angry about?
04:40What are the rebel MLAs saying?
04:41Because this was a government that was happy to come
04:44and return rather than the PDP.
04:47What has led to this trigger there?
04:54Well, Pooja, it has happened over a period of time.
04:57Ever since Omar Abdullah took over the reins of power in Jammu and Kashmir,
05:01the trouble has started.
05:02Now, most of these MLAs are unhappy with the style of functioning of Omar Abdullah.
05:06They say that, in fact, I speak to Major...
05:10Correct.
05:10They maintain that because of Faruk Abdullah,
05:14that the party is together.
05:15He is the glue around which the party is sticking
05:18because if he was not in the picture,
05:21then this party would have decimated long back.
05:23So, these are the strong statements that they are making
05:25and obviously now the onus is on the high command
05:28that how would they pacify them
05:29and whether they will bring changes in the internal structure of the party,
05:33bring more democracy,
05:34make the leaders more accessible to the MLAs
05:37and also give them respect
05:39because most of them feel that they have been humiliated time and again.
05:42And that is one big reason along with others as far as this mutiny is concerned.
05:47And if I'm correct, and I'll go back to Farid on that in a short while,
05:51I don't think this has ever happened when Faruk Abdullah was either the Chief Minister
05:56or was at the helm of position in management of the National Conference Affairs.
06:00Stay on with me, Farid.
06:01So, what are the demands of NC rebels
06:03and what is it looking like with regard to the breakdown
06:06of one of the prominent parties of Jammu Kashmir?
06:10What are the rebel MLAs asking?
06:1117 JKNC MLAs are demanding the removal of all cabinet ministers
06:16who've taken oaths recently.
06:18MLAs want even the Deputy Chief Minister removed within two weeks.
06:22They want Chief Minister's advisor to be removed as well.
06:26Remember, advisor is usually the person who you go through to meet the Chief Minister
06:30and who is often part of the discussions and deliberations as well.
06:34Rebels are citing major governance deficit here.
06:37They're citing poor performance by the ministers.
06:40So, why have they been made ministers
06:42if they haven't performed well in the constituency?
06:45Call for formation of a new cabinet and in a transparent basis?
06:49Consult with the party MLAs and senior leaders before you take these decisions?
06:54Farid, I return to you here.
06:55So, the fact that at this point with the National Conference
06:58that's staring at an internal rebellion,
07:00Omar Abdullah's leadership also is coming under pressure.
07:03Because this brewing revolt, if it's not handled at time,
07:07the PDP is watching, the Bharatiya Janata Party is watching
07:10and clearly it could be a political crisis massively for Jammu and Kashmir
07:14and an existential crisis for the Abdullahs,
07:17as they are called as the first family of politics in JNK.
07:21India Today's exclusive scoops have also revealed and confirmed the news break
07:25that dissident MLAs held a secret huddle,
07:28four meetings at least,
07:30since 27th October, Cabinet reshuffle.
07:32That day itself, remember, Mubarak Gul had gone on running
07:35after the oath ceremony did not include him.
07:38The rebels are set to meet Farouk Abdullah
07:40and the meeting that is currently on.
07:43Now, Omar Abdullah also is part of that meeting.
07:46The removal demand is of the ministers who have completed two years
07:49and if their performance is not up to the mark,
07:52why should they continue?
07:53So, they say Omar Abdullah initially refused to meet
07:55some of the dissident MLAs,
07:57but they are part of the meeting.
07:58On your screens is also Srinagar Member of Parliament,
08:01Aga Rahula, who recently resigned.
08:03And that adds on now to the trouble of a national conference.
08:07Remember, four new ministers were recently inducted,
08:09including the council's trend to nine,
08:11exclusion of senior leaders,
08:13including Mubarak Gul, who's been a six-time MLA.
08:16That triggered immediate resentment.
08:18Allegations of repeated humiliation,
08:20like our colleagues are pointing out,
08:21and from Jammu to Kashmir,
08:23it's the similar statement that's coming in.
08:25And largely, it appears that the anger is against Omar Abdullah.
08:30What about the BJP this time?
08:32The charge that is coming in,
08:34that this is Operation Lotus happening.
08:36They want to break the national conference deliberately.
08:39And are quoting instances in the past,
08:41like that of Bengal and Maharashtra.
08:43But BJP is saying this has nothing to do with them,
08:47and that this is NC's internal crisis.
08:49The big question is whether Omar Abdullah
08:51can manage this revolt in time.
08:52And if he fails to do that,
08:54what happens next?
08:55Listen in to reactions.
08:57The whole thing I expect it was a lot more than a German ambulance,
09:01and I won't come to any car,
09:04I won't come to any car,
09:07I won't come to any car.
09:08I won't get any money.
09:09I won't buy any food,
09:10I won't come to any party,
09:12I won't take any card from someone.
09:14I won't go out,
09:14and I've always come through it myself.
09:15I won't pay for a break.
09:16I won't pay for any time.
09:19That's why I won't pay for any time,
09:19I won't pay for any money.
09:22And that's why there was a lot of work that there was a lot of work for me and also
09:37for us.
09:39What is the situation at this time in our Jumbo Kashmir,
10:12in the world.
10:14foreign
10:44But there will be some grievances, some grievances will be addressed, and I don't like that there will be any
10:52kind of media, which is running out of the national conference, which is going to be a good thing.
10:59Initial conference, 370 people will start to start, and the Riaaset will not return to the Riaaset.
11:07Assembly resolution passes, this is a great thing.
11:11This is the reason why the Rural Allah has asked, if you have a national conference, you have a good
11:18answer, you have a good answer, that is why you have a good answer.
11:25If you have a good answer, we have a good answer, Riaaset, 370 people, if you have a good answer,
11:37but you have a good answer,
11:40I am a good answer, I will say that this is the Riaaset, which is the Riaaset, which is the
11:49Riaaset, which is the Riaaset, which is the Riaaset, the Riaaset, which has already been done,
12:00foreign
12:30I will be working on my work, and I will also be working on my work,
12:37and I will also be working on my work,
12:40which will also be working on my own measures,
12:47and I will also be working on my work and on my work.
12:52Look, National Conference under their leadership
13:33So let's take what JNK BJP leader who's headed the BJP unit as well, Ravinder Rehna, what
13:38he's saying. I'll take that to Meir Farid who's joining me from right outside Abdullah
13:42resident. Farid, of course, this is what the Bharatiya Janata Party would be closely observing
13:47as well. Do you think that they've been approached already? Do you think Abdullah's would want
13:53to retain their members, not want a breakdown of the national conference? What is the future
13:58scenarios that we are looking at vis-a-vis this situation?
14:07Well, Pooja, any which way you look at it, these party MLAs, the important leaders within
14:12the party have already put the high command on notice. Even if the party high command manages
14:18to douse the flames right now, but the bugle of mutiny has already been sounded and the
14:26internal issues of the national conference now is the big challenge for the party high
14:30command to take care of. But as far as Operation Lotus is concerned, definitely it seems some
14:35signals to the Abdullah's that that's not going to happen. The BJP right now is not interested
14:40in that and that's why you would have seen there was a laid back approach as far as the
14:43party high command is concerned. In dealing with the crisis, they didn't seem to be very serious.
14:48Nasser Hassanwani is in England leading a tourism tour, again something that means these MLAs
14:53that why is he going on junkets, why is the tourism department taking someone who has nothing
14:58to do with tourism, it's not his portfolio and he's still in England. So these are the
15:02signals that suggest that probably they've got some feelers from New Delhi that Operation
15:07Lotus is not going to happen in Jammu and Kashmir right now so they can remain assured.
15:12And that's why the way the Abdullah's and the senior leadership has handled this crisis,
15:17it seems to be kind of a laid back approach. There was no emergency. It took 10 days for
15:22this meeting to happen. So these are the signals that are important. So that is something that
15:27could play out on this meeting as well. And the way the party high command really deals with
15:31this meeting and talks to these party leaders.
15:34If I am correct, Nasser Hassanwani is also the advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, has
15:39been a long aide, has been a long confidant for him and one of the demands is to also get
15:44him removed by the ministers, isn't it?
15:52Well, what in fact has been troubling for these leaders of the national conference, many senior
15:59leaders, three, four, five, six, seven time MLAs, they say that he has lost his elections. I mean,
16:06when everyone won in the national conference, there's a wave for them in the assembly elections,
16:10Nasser Hassanwani could not retain his seat. So a person who has lost the MLA elections, how
16:16is it that he has managed to get such an important place close to the chief minister? He's his first
16:21advisor and he's someone who has a say in almost every matter. So that is something that is making
16:28them unhappy. And along with the deputy chief minister, Surinder Chaudhary is also someone who's not
16:34sorry. Keep tracking the latest on that because this ladies and gentlemen is big. It's after all
16:38about Jammu and Kashmir. It's a border region. It's a huge political, social, cultural significance
16:43as well. Whatever happens there in JNK can also impact the political situations and rest of the country.