Tara Chand, who was elected from a neighbouring constituency, became Speaker of the Legislative Assembly — he emerged as a new power centre in the area. Once close, Sharma and Tara Chand began drifting apart, competing for the Congress leadership and influence in the area.

Reacting to Sharma’s charge, the Speaker said on Monday: “I am hurt that some top guns in the state are trying to conspire against me... everybody in my constituency and outside knows my image.”

Sharma’s outburst about his own party colleagues has also put the Congress in a spot. At the political level in Jammu, the Congress’s arch rivals BJP as well as the National Conference will try to make the most of these allegations. And in the Valley, this will create problems for both the Congress and PDP, as here many suspect that the probe was never exhaustive and that the more high profile were shielded.