J-K PCC chief and Union minister Saifuddin Soz denies talk of a problem. “The (swearing-in) got delayed for some technical reasons. I think it will be organised very soon.” J-K minister Mangat Ram Sharma also talks of technical problems that had been resolved, and adds that “Kundal sahib should be in the Cabinet in two-three days”.

However, sources say Kundal has been left hanging due to stiff resistance to his induction as a minister from within the Congress’s legislative body.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s reasoning to make Kundal a minister was simple: he was the first Scheduled Caste officer to rise to the top of the IAS ladder in the state; and he was loyal towards him. The CM hoped Kundal's induction would help it counter the BSP’s growing influence among the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Jammu, which is a traditional Congress support base and which Mayawati successfully toured recently.

However, Azad’s decision hasn't gone down well with party legislators from his own community or with other leaders hoping for a Cabinet berth.

The issue has even reached New Delhi, with dissenting leaders approaching the Congress's Scheduled Castes-Scheduled Tribes Cell in New Delhi complaining that Kundal could not represent them in the Council of Ministers. Azad was in Delhi at the time, and the seriousness of the dissent is believed to have led to the sudden cancellation of Kundal’s oath-taking ceremony.

Since then the Congress has tried to build bridges with the disgruntled leaders. Senior leaders Mula Ram and Suman Bhagat have been assured that they would not be displaced from their constituencies nor would Kundal's induction be allowed to hurt their interests.

The Kundal saga, meanwhile, has another aspect as well. The Government had tipped Financial Commissioner, Home, S S Kapoor to be the next Chief Secretary — a decision its coalition partner the PDP opposes.

Kundal replaced C Phunsog to become the first SC Chief Secretary of the state. Prior to it, he worked in various top administrative positions in the state, including as Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; Principal Secretary, Power; Principal Secretary, Agriculture; Home Secretary; as well as Financial Commissioner, Home.

Kundal was also appointed by Azad to investigate the alleged bungling in the State Forest Corporation that rocked the state.