It's been two days since Chief Secretary B R Kundal put in his papers, amid speculation that he was about to be inducted into the J-K Cabinet. On Monday morning, invitations were sent out for a noon swearing-in on the lawns of the Nehru Guest House. A senior IAS officer's room was renovated, and a new nameplate put outside: B R Kundal, Power Minister. All that's remaining is the actual order making Kundal a minister.

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.

... contd.