Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his arch political rival and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti exchanged barbs over alleged backdoor appointments in various government departments in the Union Territory.
A day after the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, accused the National Conference (NC) government of making over 25,000 backdoor appointments, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday hit back at his arch political rival by referring to the case of the PDP president’s cousin.
“Have we forgotten that Mehbooba Mufti’s maternal uncle, Sartaj Madni’s son, was appointed through the backdoor and was later removed following court orders?” Omar Abdullah asked.
He added, “I am ready to respond if any allegation is backed by evidence. Give me the name of even one person who has been appointed through the backdoor under my government, and I will clarify. But I will not respond to baseless charges.”
“PDP’s allegation of backdoor appointments is a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black. Those who brazenly indulged in large-scale backdoor appointments during their tenure from 2014 to 2018 are now raising questions about backdoor appointments,” Omar Abdullah said.
He further alleged, “The maximum number of backdoor and illegal appointments in Jammu and Kashmir were made during the PDP-BJP regime.”
To substantiate his allegations, Omar Abdullah referred to hundreds of alleged backdoor appointments made in the Jammu and Kashmir Bank during the PDP-BJP government’s tenure from 2014 to 2018.
“The investigating agencies are still probing those backdoor appointments,” he said, adding that senior ministers in the present government would soon place data relating to the alleged backdoor appointments made during the PDP-BJP regime before the public.
Mehbooba alleges 25,000 backdoor appointments
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday alleged that around 25,000 backdoor appointments had been made in Jammu and Kashmir during the 25-month tenure of the National Conference-led government. She claimed that vacancies in government departments were filled through private outsourcing agencies without transparency and outside the established recruitment process.
Mehbooba alleged that the appointments were made against vacancies in various government departments and that the posts were distributed among ministers, MLAs, and alliance partners.
“There have been about 25,000 backdoor appointments in 25 months. I have the orders as well, but I do not want to disclose the identities of those appointed for their protection,” she said.
The PDP chief alleged that these appointments were made against regular government vacancies.
“These vacancies were distributed among ministers, MLAs, and alliance partners. In my opinion, the BJP also has a share in this, which is why it is silent and not raising any hue and cry over the issue,” she alleged.
Mehbooba further claimed that complaints received by her party suggested that candidates were asked to pay between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh to secure government jobs.
“The allegations that have come to us are that money was collected from candidates and distributed through this process,” she said.
She also alleged that nearly 200 private outsourcing agencies were involved in the recruitment process.
“What was done was that outsourcing agencies were hired. For a brief period, a website would be opened where selected candidates were asked to submit forms. Once the forms were filled out, the website would be closed,” she alleged.
The PDP president claimed that lists of candidates were collected from ministers and legislators and forwarded to outsourcing agencies through officials in different departments.
“There is one Ramzan and one Ayush Sahib. I do not want to disclose their designations. There are several others in different departments, whether PROs or secretaries, who allegedly collected lists from MLAs and ministers and passed them on to outsourcing agencies,” she alleged.
She further alleged that the appointments were made without public advertisements or equal opportunity for aspiring candidates.
“I have not seen any advertisement in newspapers regarding these appointments. Wherever interviews were conducted, no other candidates were interviewed. Only those selected through this process were considered,” she alleged.
EOM
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