Mufti, once bitten not twice shy

JAMMU: People's Democratic Party chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had got an opportunity to become the CM way back in 1977, when the Janata Party wave swept the nation. In the assembly elections held in 1972, the Congress won 58 seats, five unopposed, in the 75-member House. The Jan Sangh then had three MLAs, Jamait-e-Islami had five and there were nine Independents.The Congress led the government for over three years, but had to make way for Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah under the Indira-Sheikh accord of 1975. Sheikh constituted his three-member ministry with Congress'support. Though the Congress legislators were not quite satisfied with the arrangement, Indira's influence ensured smooth flow of power to Sheikh. In March 1977, the Congress decided to withdraw support to the Sheikh ministry and stake its claim to form the government. ''One day, CLP leader Girdhari Lal Dogra got up in the House and said: 'The Congress has decided to withdraw support to Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah and form an alternative government. Mufti Mohammed Sayeed will be the chief minister and I will be the deputy chief minister,''' an eyewitness who attended that assembly session said. Since the assembly elections were due around that time, the Congress wanted to oust Sheikh and ensure that elections were held while the state administration was under its control, observers say. However, that was not to be. Then governor L K Jha clamped Governor's Rule.Amid the turn of events, the case of Mufti conveniently got lost. Mufti was not an MLA when his name was propped up by Dogra for the CM's post. Even now, Mufti is not an MLA. Whether these similarities forebode bad luck for him, is a thing to see. Earlier, Union minister of state for defence Chaman Lal Gupta said that the Congress and the PDP should form a government at the earliest. Gupta said the attitude of thetwo parties would act against them in the next assembly elections.