Post Drabu sacking, PDP to hold crucial meet on March 17
KNZ NEWS DESK
Jammu, Mar 16: Five days after the PDP’s pointsman and Late Mufti Sayeed’s trusted lieutenant Haseeb Darbu was sacked, the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has called for a high level meet of the party legislators and ministers in Srinagar. As per top sources privy to the development, the meeting will take place in Srinagar’s Fairview residence of the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti wherein she is all set to address her ministers and legislators after the ousting of Haseeb Drabu who was holding the crucial Finance Portfolio in the coalition. It was informed that the meet will be crucial in nature since the formation of the government led by Mehbooba Mufti on April 4, 2016 and the party wills evolve a consensus over its future course of action.
The meet as per the sources will also deliberate upon the forthcoming cabinet reshuffle of both the PDP as well as of the BJP ministers in the present coalition.
As per reports, the meet will also focus on the political developments taking place in the state after the sacking of the finance minister and what is the report from the grass root level workers about the development. “There will be crucial discussions over what would be the party’s focus in the coming time and whether there is any need to hold parleys with the BJP at New Delhi to discuss the forthcoming priorities of the coalition in Jammu and Kashmir,” sources said.
Underscoring the need to further strengthening the party at the grassroots and establish a connect with the ground level workers, the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has been at the forefront to impress upon the party leadership to adhere to the guidelines and laid down norms of the party. There are also reports that the meeting shall be attended by almost all the party ministers and legislators and will be chaired by the PDP President and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and party’s senior vice presdent Sartaj Madni.
As per the sources, the emergency meeting has been called by the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti in the backdrop of Haseeb Drabu’s sacking and to get a first hand information about the feedback the party ministers and legislators have received from the ground. There are also reports coming to fore that the meeting in question will also hold threadbare discussions over whether Drabu should be called back into the cabinet or Bukhari who was given the additional change of the finance portfolio will continue to remain in office.
Furthermore, the forthcoming cabinet reshuffle will also remain a centre of discussion during the meeting and the party leadership is likely to take a final call over who to drop and who to induct. “There are also chances that the party will discuss whether to induct new faces in the cabinet and what changes are needed to be done in the portfolios of different ministers,” insiders divulged. Pertinently, last year when the cabinet reshuffle was witnessed last year in February, there were some senior ministers including Imran Ansari and Basharat Bukahri who expressed annoyance over their portfolios. Since then, the speculations were rife that the party would consider changing their respective portfolios in the present cabinet.
