People's Democracy

JAMMU&KASHMIR

Tarigami Assails Mufti

Cabinet Expansion Move

REACTING to the decision of the PDP-Congress coalition government to expand its ministry, the state secretary of the CPI(M), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, described the measure as unwarranted and out of tune with the country-wide demand for reducing the size of the union and state ministries.

Talking to media persons in Jammu on February 12, Tarigami said that this decision comes at a time when consensus is evolving in the rest of the country that large-sized ministries are not only an unnecessary burden on the public exchequer but also amount to inefficiency and administrative inertia. It is more so when the expansion and the choice of incumbents is dictated by political compulsions alone.

Tarigami said that it is noteworthy that responding to this consensus and demand, the Parliament had recently passed the 97th Constitution Amendment Bill, which provides that the size of the council of ministers should not be more than 15 per cent of the strength of House or Houses, whether unicameral or bicameral. Considering this major legislation, it was expected that the state government would introduce the bill in the ensuing budget session of the legislature for limiting the number of ministers. But unfortunately the government has done quite opposite to what was expected of it, thereby choosing the politically retrogressive and economically wasteful step of expansion.

The CPI(M) demands, he said, that the government should come up to the expectations of the people and must introduce a bill on the lines of the central legislation, instead of expanding the ministry. He expressed the hope that all the well-meaning political parties will support this genuine demand.