Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has claimed that late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed misused his “ liberality ” to be Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir in 2002.
In his book, Azaad, An Autobiography, the former CM said that he offered Mufti Muhammad Sayeed to be part of the government when he (Azad) had a letter of support from 42 MLAs to become come CM. “With the letter of support of 42 MLAs in my hand, I dialed the governor, and he invited me the following day to confirm the date of Oath- taking.
I informed Sonia ji about the developments over telephone. She was happy to hear that I was now taking charge of government conformation,” Azad claims.
“A many hours before the meeting with the governor, around 8.00 am, I was in the balcony of my room of Hotel Broadway in Srinagar, having tea with Ashok Bhan, a friend, Congressman and counsel of the Supreme Court, when a news passed to me, maybe it was driven by emotion. I told Bhan that I should ask Mufti’s party to join the government. I had a long family association with him, which I had maintained indeed after his split with the Congress.
Though I didn’t need his backing to form the government, I believed that with him on board, the government would be indeed more stable and could perform better. either, he’d been a Solon, and his MLAs could be co-opted in the government,” the former CM claims.’
Azad further says Mufti made him stay, saying he needs 3- 4 days to think and decide over the offer. “I dialed Mufti and informed him that I would be meeting the governor at 11.00 am.
I suggested that his party could be part of the government and asked him to give me names of five-six MLAs of his party who could be accommodated as ministers. He said that it was a good idea and incontinently invited me for breakfast, saying that I could go to the Raj Bhavan after having breakfast with him.
I readily agreed. I had breakfast with him at his residence and repeated my offer. He heard me out and said that he wanted three – four days to think over it. He suggested that I may also postpone my meeting with the governor until,” Azad says.
The former CM claims that he trusted Mufti and didn’t spot his slickness. “I should have seen through his game plan also and gone ahead with the Oath- taking; after all, his party could have joined the government latterly. But I trusted him implicitly and didn’t spot his slickness.
How was I to know that he’d throw our particular relations to the wind and misuse my liberality. I met the Governor and briefed him about my addresses with Mufti that morning, also informing him that I would get back to him after three – four days, ” the former CM writes.
He said Mufti verified his participation in his government when he and Dr. Manmohan Singh, the also leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, met him in Srinagar. “I returned to Delhi and recited the whole story to Sonia ji.
It was decided that Dr Manmohan Singh, also the LoP in the Rajya Sabha, and I would fly to Srinagar and meet the PDP leader to establishment up his party’s addition in the government. The following day, Dr Manmohan Singh and I went to Srinagar and had lunch with Mufti, during which he verified his party’s participation in the government,” he adds.
According to Azad, Mufti got up in an agitated state during the meeting called by Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi for publicizing the alliance when he was asked to give names of 5- 6 names from his party who could be accommodated as ministers.
later, Sonia ji invited Mufti to Delhi for the final advertisement of the alliance. I too, was present at the meeting. Mufti thanked the Congress chairman and me for agreeing to his party’s participation in the government.
But when he was asked for names from his party who could be part of my government, he suddenly got up in an agitated state and blatted, ‘I allowed that I had been invited to be the chief minister.
Sonia ji and I were spooked and said that no similar suggestion or assurance had been given from our side at any point of time. Mufti nearly cried back that he’d been called to Delhi to be disrespected. ‘Why was I called? I could have been informed over the telephone.’ It was clear that he wanted to commandeer the government,” Azad says.
He writes that he himself interposed and requested Sonia Gandhi that a power- participating arrangement could be worked by which he would be CM for the first three years and Mufti for the coming three years.
“When matters sounded to be going out of hand, I interposed and requested Sonia ji that an arrangement could be worked out by which I would be CM for the first three years and Mufti could take over for the coming three years (also the J&K government’s term was of six years).
This way, everyone would be happy. still, Mufti, having got a handhold, now wanted full entry through the door. He claimed on being the CM for the first three years. Sonia ji was in no mood to relent.
Again, I requested her that in the larger interest of the state, we should agree to his demand. That’s how Mufti, whose party had come third in the choices, with just 16 MLAs, came the CM, while I, despite having the support of 42 MLAs, had to return to public politics,” he says.
In 2002 choices, National Conference won 28 seats, Congress 20 seats and Peoples Democratic Party 16 seats
