Barely a few days after Cabinet minister and state Congress chief Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed was forced to resign over the issue of corruption, the involvement of two PDP ministers in the Forest Department “mess” has been highlighted by the media. While Peerzada had resigned to pave way for an impartial inquiry into the charges, the National Conference had demanded that the state Government table the inquiry report on irregularities in the Forest Department on the floor of the House. While corruption charges against Peerzada were levelled by MLA Shohaib Lone, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had himself divested his cabinet colleague Qazi Afzal of forest portfolio and publicly ordered an inquiry. Chief Secretary R Kundal, who was then the Financial Commissioner, Home, had reported that senior forest officials were involved in irregularities and had recommended dismissal of some of them, besides registration of criminal cases.Succumbing to pressure, the CM had agreed to table Kundal Commission report on the floor of the House, saying no minister was indicted by the panel. However, before the report could be tabled, it was leaked to the media to show that the commission had indicted two PDP ministers and an associate Congress member.These “exposes”, instead of doing any good to the ruling coalition’s image, have intensified the intra and inter party conflicts. Peerzada, whose resignation as PCC chief is yet to be accepted by the Congress high command, has alleged that the charges against him are an outcome of a “political conspiracy”. Even his political detractors admit that he was made to quit in haste, as the charges of corruption are yet to be proved. Though the PDP has not yet reacted to the Kundal panel report, many see it as an outcome of strained relations between Azad and Finance Minister Tariq Hamid Qarra. A senior PDP minister said, “It appears that the CM is being kept in the dark. There are some people who want to create difference between the Congress and the PDP.”
