Farooq’s busy first day out of power

The chief minister’s metal plaque has been removed from the main gate of Farooq Abdullah’s Gupkar residence. But inside, in the me...

The chief minister’s metal plaque has been removed from the main gate of Farooq Abdullah’s Gupkar residence. But inside, in the meeting hall, a framed photograph showing Abdullah shaking hands with former US president Bill Clinton was fixed today morning.

Farooq took the picture, which was clicked during Clinton’s March 2000 visit to India, out from his study room today and asked his aides to put it up — probably to serve as a rewind to days of glory on his first day out of power.

Soon after, Farooq got busy as bureaucrats, partymen and deputations made a beeline. An hour-long meeting with Panthers Party president Bhim Singh followed, setting off speculations about National Conference’s gameplan, especially after Omar Abdullah today said that the option of an NC government with the support of other groups and Independents was not closed.

In the afternoon, Abdullah retired for a nap as a Ganderbal villager waited, reciting poems in his praise. By 4 pm, he got busy with party MP Shariefudin Shariq as the villager and his daughter waited. He held a meeting with senior party colleagues in the evening.