Outmanoeuvring the Congress in the power game is difficult, as even the shrewd Mufti found out post-2002. In 2008, the Congress changed alliance partners — dumping PDP and choosing NC — but returned to its myopic party-centric politics. Omar Abdullah , the “new face”, has been given two tainted Congressmen as senior cabinet ministers. Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand’s name was spoken of in connection with the Srinagar sex abuse scandal, which the previous administration didn’t sufficiently pursue — under Congress pressure. This newspaper exposed a massive scandal in staff recruitment for the legislative assembly — a process under then-Speaker Tara Chand. Then-Education Minister Peerzada Sayeed was asked to resign allegedly for taking bribes from a sitting legislator. Sayeed is back as education minister. Earlier, the government had initiated an investigation into his role in the rural electrification scam — a major case of embezzlement of public funds.

The acceptance of the tainted ministers in the new cabinet by Omar Abdullah is, however, not the only surrender. The Congress holds almost every important ministry: urban development, public works, tourism and health. It is an irony that the NC could only reach the 28 mark because of the sweep in Srinagar where it won all eight constituencies — but the party’s Srinagar stalwart, Ali Mohammad Sagar, has been made rural development minister. Neither will Srinagar get sufficient attention nor will Sagar be particularly interested in rural J&K. J&K’s apple-growers are essentially concentrated in north Kashmir’s Baramulla-Sopore-Rafiabad belt and Shopian in South Kashmir. But Omar’s horticulture minister is from Jammu’s Kathua district. The Valley is dependent on tourism, and is the face of J&K to tourists; but the tourism minister is a Congressman from Ladakh.

... contd.