Cabinet expansion will strengthen governance, accountability: Dy CM

Srinagar, Oct 27: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Tuesday said the expansion of the Omar Abdullah-led Council of Ministers would strengthen governance, improve accountability and ensure more effective delivery of services to the people, while taking a swipe at the BJP over its criticism of the government.
Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar, Choudhary said the government had fulfilled its commitment to expand and reshuffle the Cabinet and that the focus should now shift to governance and public welfare.
“We had told people that we would carry out an expansion and reshuffle, and now it has happened. Now question the BJP leaders or the Leader of Opposition,” he said.
Referring to the induction of Ali Mohammad Sagar, Shamima Firdous, Mir Saifullah and Altaf Ahmad Wani into the Council of Ministers, the Deputy Chief Minister said the expansion was aimed at strengthening the government’s functioning and ensuring that people benefited from its decisions.
“Our only aim is that the people of Jammu and Kashmir should benefit from this government. That is why CM Omar has carried out this expansion. Now ask questions about the work being done and leave the issue of expansion,” Choudhary said.
Taking a dig at the BJP, he said its leaders had repeatedly questioned the delay in Cabinet expansion but should now concentrate on issues directly affecting the people.
“For six months, they kept talking about expansion. Now it has happened, and one of their issues is over,” he said, accusing the opposition party of misleading the public.
The Deputy Chief Minister also raised concerns over alleged attacks on Kashmiris and other residents of Jammu and Kashmir working in different parts of the country, questioning the BJP’s silence over such incidents.
Targeting Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, Choudhary asked why BJP leaders had failed to speak out when people from Jammu and Kashmir were allegedly subjected to harassment and violence while earning their livelihood outside the Union Territory.
“Whether it is a driver, a shawl seller or a fruit seller, people from Jammu and Kashmir go outside to earn their livelihood. When they are beaten, it hurts because they are human beings,” he said.
Choudhary urged BJP leaders to stop maligning the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and instead explain what had been done to fulfil the promises made to the people.
He maintained that the government’s priority remained public welfare, development and accountable administration rather than political confrontation.
The remarks came shortly after Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to four legislators at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar, marking the much-awaited expansion of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Council of Ministers. (KNS)