Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair an important meeting of the ruling alliance in Srinagar on Friday. The meeting is expected to focus on the recent transfer of 48 JKAS officers by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the delay in restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
The meeting will be held at the Deputy Chief Minister’s residence at Fairview. A formal notice has been sent to party MLAs and alliance partners, asking them to attend.
The ruling alliance is upset over the LG’s decision to transfer 48 JKAS officers during the Eid holidays. These officers were posted to various positions, including Additional Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, and Assistant Commissioners of Revenue.
Alliance leaders believe the Lieutenant Governor has gone beyond his powers and ignored the role of the elected government. Abdullah is said to be upset and sees the move as interference in the functioning of his government.
The transfers were made after the elected government had sent the business rules to the Centre for approval, through the LG. The rules, prepared with help from constitutional experts, were meant to define the powers of the Chief Minister and the LG.
However, the elected government feels it cannot work freely, as the LG still controls the main powers. The government believes that without statehood, it has little authority to make independent decisions.
The issue of statehood restoration has been raised several times with the Centre, but the Union government has not given any timeline so far. Friday's meeting is also expected to discuss the Waqf Bill and the ongoing session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.
Observers opine that tension between the two power centres in the Union Territory will rise over issues of authority and Abdullah will be under pressure to press hard for the restoration of statehood.
The elected government was sworn-in on October 16 last year and since then it has struggled to assert its authority in the face of the LG controlling the key levers of power. The BJP government at the Centre adds another layer of difficulty for Abdullah to operate without strings attached.