Leaders continue to desert PDP
Basharat Bukhari, Peer Mohammad Hussain set to join NC
Srinagar: The worries of the PDP leadership are far from over. After several of its top leaders quit the party during the past two weeks, two senior most leaders are set to join the National Conference after bidding the party adieu.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders Peer Muhammad Hussain and Syed Basharat Mukhari are set to join National Conference (NC) in presence of party president Dr Farooq Abdullah, Vice president Omar Abdullah and other senior leaders at the Gupkar residence of Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday morning.
Sources while disclosing the development revealed that Peer Muhammad Hussain will join NC at 10:00am tomorrow at the residence of NC president, Dr Farooq Abdullah followed by Syed Basharat Bukhari, a former minister in the Mehbooba led PDP-BJP coalition government who will join at 11:30 am at the same place.
Sources said that both Peer Muhammad Hussain and Syed Basharat Bukhari would be welcomed by NC president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Vice president, Omar Abdullah and top senior leaders at the residence of Farooq Abdullah.
Later the two leaders will address a press conference with party president Farooq Abdullah, Vice president Omar Abdullah and other senior leaders.
Confirming the development, Peer Muhammad Hussain said, “I have resigned from PDP long back when the PDP was in power. I quit as Vice chairman Wakf Board. I took the decision to quit the party at a time when the party was in power as I saw political sycophants taking over the charge and seniors were not being heard by the top brass of the party. The party workers were alienated and there is no connect with people at the grass root level,” he said. “Though party president Mehbooba Mufti had tried to contact me in the past but I was not ready to remain in the party keeping in view the alienation of the party with the of people at grass root level,” he added.
Another top PDP leader Syed Basharat Bukhari could not be contacted despite repeated attempts to reach him over phone but sources confirmed that Bukhari is set to join NC tomorrow morning.
Pertinently, Bukhari Bukhari started his political career as a PDP spokesman in 2003 and within a short span of time he was elected to the legislative council during the reign of the then Mufti Muhammad Sayeed led PDP-Congress coalition government.
Bukhari won 2008 and 2014 assembly elections from Sangrama assembly constituency with comfortable majority and was inducted into the then Mufti Muhammad Sayeed led PDP-BJP coalition government as minister for law, justice parliamentary affairs, relief and rehabilitation, which lasted for ten months only.
He was again inducted into the Mehbooba led PDP-BJP coalition government after the demise of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and given the key portfolios of Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation. However, Mehbooba as Chief Minister divested him of the portfolios of revenue, relief and rehabilitation and offered him the portfolio of horticulture department. Though Bukhari had tendered his resignation over the change in his portfolio but he choose to remain in the cabinet till the fall of PDP-BJP coalition government.
KV News
