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| Karra may quit as MP for Ministerial berth in Mehbooba's Cabinet | | | Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 26: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart and Member Parliament Tariq Hameed Karra is likely to quit his Lok Sabha seat in the Parliament for a prospective assignment in the new Cabinet to be sworn in under the leadership of Chief Minister-designate Mehbooba Mufti.
Highly placed sources told Early Times that the PDP leadership wants to induct Karra in the state Cabinet and that he would be given a crucial assignments, which can help the party "regain its face in the state."
Sources said the party leaders have arrived at general consensus that most of the fresh faces in the previous Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led Government "couldn't do justice with the portfolios they were assigned" and that experienced hands like Karra could "correct the wrongdoings."
Sources said he was likely to get three key portfolios, which were earlier also held by the PDP during the first innings with the BJP.
It has been reliably learnt that the party held at-least three closed-door meetings with Karra to decide on the issue. Mehbooba Mufti is understood to be herself in favor of Karra joining her in the new Cabinet.
Karra, who has otherwise been a staunch critic of the PDP alliance with the rightwing BJP since day one, has been silent since February-mid when senior BJP leader Ram Madhav visited Kashmir for "secret talks" with the PDP president at her Fairview residence.
Though initially after the demise of the then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Karra had openly upped his ante against the continuation of ties with BJP, he is now conspicuous for his unusual silence.
On March 24, at the party meeting chaired by Mehbooba with party legislators, Karra was seen sitting next to her with no apparent signs of regrets of his party deciding to continue to alliance with the "saffron party."
Sources said prior to the meeting, Karra was strategically told that he would have to "guide the new Government through his vision", a hint that he would be inducted in the state Cabinet.
Karra has often scripted success for PDP. In the then PDP-Congress coalition of 2002-2008, he held some of key portfolios including that of Finance, Forest, Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Housing and Urban Development.
Karra, who initially held the Housing portfolio, he remained the choice of the PDP- Congress alliance when Ghulam Nabi Azad took over as the Chief Minister.
His policies on financial matters were widely hailed in the business circles and the common masses, alike.
A staunch supporter of opening cross -LoC routes, he held firework celebrations in the heart of the summer capital when Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was started in 2005.
Karra who defeated his arch rival Dr Farooq Abdullah in the 2014 Parliament elections, represents central Kashmir constituency in the Lok Sabha. However, a challenge for the PDP is to find compatible successor who can contest for the seat, if Karra is taken in the new Cabinet. |
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