Jammu Tawi, Nov 11: Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma on Wednesday accused the National Conference (NC) of proposing informal advisory groups of its MLAs to suppress internal dissent rather than strengthen governance, questioning their constitutional legitimacy and purpose.
In a statement, Sharma questioned NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah’s authority to direct Ministers to report to party-level groups, alleging that the arrangement indicated government affairs were being controlled from Gupkar rather than the Civil Secretariat.
“Dr Farooq Abdullah holds no constitutional or governmental office. On what authority is a party president directing Ministers of an elected Government to report to party-level groups?” he asked.
Sharma alleged that the proposed arrangement would create parallel mechanisms within the ruling party while undermining established democratic institutions. He warned that providing NC legislators exclusive access to Ministers and advance information about policy decisions could marginalise Opposition representatives.
“Governance cannot be based on party loyalty. Development must follow the needs and aspirations of the people, not the political convenience of the ruling party,” he asserted, adding that even NC’s alliance partners had been excluded.
Questioning the functioning of these groups, Sharma asked whether they would have access to departmental files, authority to review expenditure or powers to question government officials.
“If these groups have no such powers, they are nothing more than a consolation prize offered to disgruntled NC MLAs. However, if they exercise administrative authority, they risk becoming unaccountable parallel power centres,” he said.
The LoP maintained that the Legislative Assembly and its committees were the appropriate constitutional forums for scrutinising government policies and ensuring accountability.
He further alleged that the advisory groups were intended to accommodate dissatisfied NC legislators who could not secure ministerial positions due to constitutional limitations.
Describing the initiative as “political eyewash”, Sharma suggested establishing All-Party Consultative Committees to ensure participation across political lines.
“Jammu and Kashmir deserves accountable and inclusive governance, not party-controlled parallel arrangements,” he said, reiterating that Ministers were answerable to the elected Assembly rather than any political party president.