Jubilation in Cong camp; NC disappoints Kishtwar

Kishtwar: Amid jubilation in the Congress camp, National Conference workers and activists have been disappointed by their party high command, who have ignored the only face of the party in entire Chenab district in the recently expanded cabinet of Omar Abdullah lead coalition government.
Though the Kishtwar district got the representation in the state council of minister with the induction of Ghulam Muhammad Saroori, MLA Inderwal, as R&B Minister, contrary to the expectations the National Conference failed to give representation to the only party MLA from the three districts of Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban.
Saroori, who remained as Minister of State (MoS) during the erstwhile Congress-PDP government was given full cabinet birth by the party high command, giving him preference over two other party MLAs and strong contenders; Abdual Majeed Wani of Doda and Muhammad Sharief Naiz of Bhaderwah.
The cabinet birth to Saroori with prized portfolio of R&B ministry led to a large scale celebration by the party leaders and workers in Inderwal and Kishtwar. The induction is not only been seen as a victory of the party leaders but also as a hope for the backward and ignored areas of Inderwal and Kishtwar constituencies.
However, amid the celebration and enthusiasm, Kishtwar witness ire against National Conference, the party which has a strong hold in the constituency since the election of Late Bashir Ahmed Kichloo to the state legislative assembly.
The non-induction of Sajad Ahmed Kichloo is being seen as a betrayal with the loyalty and trust of the party workers over the party. Kichloo was the front runner for the cabinet birth as being the only NC MLA in six constituencies of Chenab Valley.
If sources in the party have to be believed the name of Kichloo was excluded from the list of ministers at the last stage for some unknown reasons. Some circles in the party believe that the party chief patron and president Dr Farooq Abdullah was keen to have Kichloo in the cabinet but the chief minister Omar Abdullah had something else in his mind.
Though party sources said that the MLA is being now tipped for heading a state owned corporation, sources said that Kichloo has expressed his unwillingness to take any such assignment.
The non-induction of the party MLA led to a large scale protest demonstration in Kishtwar, where party leaders and workers came openly against the decision and even burnt the party flags to register their anger.