Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday hit out at the National Conference for its misinformation campaign on KVIB recruitments and reminded it of shady recruitments in different government departments involving close kith and kins of NC leaders.
The Party said it was for the first time in the history of J&K that a Chief Minister has ordered a probe into the recruitments within 24 hours after it came under doubts unlike the past practice where a Chief Minister defended backdoor appointments several times on the floor of the legislatures.
He, however, took a dig at the National Conference (NC) for misleading the people and asked its leadership to go for introspection before casting aspersions on others. “Those who have been raising fingers on us must explain to the people about the backdoor appointments National Conference and its leaders made all over the years and shamelessly made its Chief Minister to defend the same on the floor of house”, he said.
“The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) had established 37 illegal appointments in the state legislative assembly made by three ex-Speakers including two from NC” Tak said while referring to the backdoors appointments made by the NC.
“Out of these 37 appointments, 28 appointments were made by the former Speaker alone. Where was the conscious of the party leaders at that time,” he said.
He further reminded NC leaders of statement made by the former Chief Minister and their leader Omar Abdullah when he had asked the PDP to seek intervention of the SVO or State Accountability Commission (SAC) on the issue of backdoor appointments in Jammu and Kashmir Bank.
“Omar Abdullah did not muster the courage to order a probe into the illegal appointments made by his government in the Bank. When issue was raised in State Legislative Assembly Mr. Abdullah on June 14, 2014 preferred to give sermon to PDP asking it to approach SVO, SAC to file the compliant for investigation. This is what the NC leadership only could do,” he said.
Tak said Omar Abdullah had himself on the floor of the Assembly on March 29, 2012 admitted that illegal appointments and illegal regularization of employees in Housing and Urban Development Department were made during his rule. “Yes, I know 407 people have been illegally engaged in the Housing and Urban Development Department through backdoor beside illegal regularisation of 225 persons. I am admitting on the floor of the house but this what it is”, Tak quoted Omar Abdullah as having said in the Assembly.
This, he said, is the same leader who is today questioning the present Chief Minister merely on the ground that son of her party leader has made it in the merit list
The National Conference government also recruited around 104 persons through backdoor means in various Public Sector undertakings from 2008 to 2014. “Most of those recruited are kith and kins of senior National Conference leaders. If the party wants it the list can be made public to ascertain the facts”, he said.
They have no moral rights to question a government which has delivered the people effectively and ensured transparency, accountability and fairness in every sphere of life,” the PDP leader said, adding that it was sheer desperation of NC leaders that has forced them to take illegal and immoral ways to find faults in the PDP-led government.
“The present Chief Minister has shown the basic instincts and guts of having a transparent and fair system by ordering a high-level probe into the matter. This is for the first time in the history of J&K that a Chief Minister has ordered a probe into the recruitments after fingers were raised on senior leaders of his or her party. Transparency and accountability in the system is the bedrock of this government and once against Ms. Mehbooba Mufti has shown the way” senior PDP leader and MLC Firdous Tak said in a statement.
He said the candidate withdrew his candidature from the post despite the fact that it was not a backdoor appointment. “As a son of the party’s honest leader, the candidate withdrew his candidature and let the case to an open investigation to ensure a fair probe”. “There was no backdoor appointment, no favouritism and no shoddy deals like those in the era of National Conference where affiliations, kickbacks and favouritism were the only criteria”, he said.
