All in the family: Uncle puts in papers, paves way for nephew to take over

Srinagar: Farooq Andrabi, the Minister of State for Auqaf and Hajj and uncle of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has tendered his resignation from the cabinet reportedly to pave way for the induction of Tasaduq Mufti, brother of Chief Minister into the state cabinet.

According to the sources, Andrabi has cited ‘personal reason’ for quitting the ministry. Sources said that the Chief Minister has forwarded the resignation of Andrabi to the Governor NN Vohra.

Andrabi, who defeated state Congress chief Gulam Ahmad Mir in 2014 elections represents Dooru constituency of Anantnag in south Kashmir. Andrabi was inducted into the council of Ministers on April 4, 2016.

Meanwhile, the PDP leadership in the state is tightlipped about the issue as he reportedly resigned so that the party could avoid criticism of Mehbooba Mufti having more than one family member in the ministry.

“I don’t know anything about it (Andrabi’s resignation). Media must have information, I don’t have any information about it,” senior leader of the party Dilawar Mir said.

Mir said that he was personally busy with family matters.

Earlier, Mir reportedly has proposed the idea that Tasaduq Mufti should be given a formal role in the government.

Pertinently, the government has forwarded the nomination letter to Governor Vohra for the induction of Tasaduq Mufti into the Legislative Council. However, reports said that the Governor has returned the file while seeking the clarification for the PDP-BJP led government.

Sources said that while returning the file, the Governor has drawn the cabinet’s attention towards a writ petition pending disposal in the state high court wherein nomination of eight members to Upper House of the State Legislature has been challenged.

The nomination of the eight MLCs was challenged by a lawyer in the state high court who said that all the norms fixed for nomination of these members to the Legislative Council were given a go ahead by the then Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, and not by the state cabinet.

Meanwhile, the cabinet had recommended the nomination of Tasaduq Mufti against the vacancy created by the resignation of its former leader Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh from the Legislative Council.

Vikramaditya Singh was one of the eight MLCs whose nomination had been challenged.

 

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