KL Report
SRINAGAR
Amid strong protest by National Conference over his alleged role in attempting to topple Omar Abdullah Government, Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir Friday said that the allegations were baseless and said he has always been playing a vital role in strengthening the democratic set up in the state and has always been an active player to diffuse the crises in the valley.
“There is no question of conspiring against the government. People as well as New Delhi know the fact what role I have been playing in diffusing the crises,” Mir told a local news agency, KNS, adding that he was an open book and had nothing to hide.
The clarification came after National Conference demanded resignation of the Minster from the Cabinet.
“If the report is true, Mir has no moral right to be in the cabinet and he should immediately step down,” Senior Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar told KNS, adding that it was evident that conspiracies were being hatched against NC over the years.
The Indian Express in a report on Friday claimed that a secret Board of Officers inquiry report, led by Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia, recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Technical Services Division, the Military Intelligence unit set up by the former Army chief, VK Singh.
The newspaper reports that the committee has pointed out to a string of irregularities, such as misusing secret service funds to destabilize the Omar Abdullah government in J&K, paying an NGO to block General Bikram Singh’s promotion as the Army chief, and conducting covert operations by buying surveillance equipment through the Military Intelligence Unit.
The recommendations of the report have been brought up to the notice of the Prime Minister’s office by Defense Minister AK Antony.
Reacting to the report, Gen VK Singh was quoted by IBN-Live saying, ‘This is simple vendetta as some people are not comfortable with me sharing the dais with Narendra Modi to espouse the cause of ex-servicemen in the country.’
Meanwhile State Congress Chief Prof. Saif ud din Soz declined to comment saying, he does not know anything about it.
CPI (M) State Secretary Mohamamd Yousf Tarigami demanded a thorough probe into it saying that the matter should be probed thoroughly.
“The matter must be thoroughly probed,” Tarigami told KNS.
In the meantime Former Minster and senior Congress leader Ab. Gani Vakil said that the Minster should clarify his position.
