A political storm is brewing in Jammu and Kashmir over a proposal to create 23 new administrative units with National Conference refusing to budge from its stand in its favour while its alliance partner Congress and some others opposing it.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who believes that the proposed Administrative Units are essential for holistic development of the state, has been trying to reason it out with Congress leadership at the Centre.
Today, he held a meeting with Congress General Secretary for the state Ambika Soni in which Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was also present.
During the meeting, Omar is understood to have responded to apprehensions raised by Congress and made it clear that there was no discrimination against any region as claimed by some of the alliance partners.
The meeting ended without any solution having been hammered out on the contentious issue.
Omar had met Congress President Sonia Gandhi last week over the issue. His meeting was followed by another meeting with Congress leaders from the state during which Gandhi is understood to have asked the state leaders to think about the creation of new sub-division.
Omar had announced a Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) to go into the report of the Mushtaq Ganie Committee which had recommended creation of new 23 administrative units or sub-division -- 10 for Jammu region, 12 for Kashmir Valley and one for Ladakh region.
The CSC is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand with Public Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, Agriculture Minister G.H. Mir, Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone and Planning Minister Ajay Sadhotra as members.
The CSC has been given one more week to give its findings after which Omar is expected to take a decision and discuss the issue before the state Cabinet next week.
