Suhail Khan
Srinagar, August 24: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday ruled out an immediate cabinet expansion but kept the door open for a reshuffle “when we have to”, even as he mounted a spirited defence of the recent power tariff hike, calling it a “compulsion” and accusing the BJP of double standards on the issue.
The remarks came amid growing political buzz over filling three vacant ministerial berths in the Union Territory, where the council of ministers has a maximum strength of nine, including the Chief Minister. Speculation had been rife that the expansion would take place after August 15, but CM Omar made it clear that no timeline had been fixed.
“No work has stopped. There is no crisis in the government. Our work is going on. We will reshuffle when we have to,” CM Omar Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of an official function here.
When pressed on the delay, he pushed back: “I said it won’t happen before August 15. I didn’t tell you that it will happen on August 15. When will it happen? In what circumstances? Leave this to me.”
The Chief Minister’s comments are being seen as an attempt to put an end to speculation about infighting or instability within the National Conference-led dispensation, even as the opposition BJP has trained its guns on the government over the power tariff revision.
The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) recently approved an average tariff increase of 6.83 per cent, effective September 1, drawing sharp criticism from opposition parties, trade bodies, and consumer rights groups.
CM Omar, however, sought to reassure the public, clarifying that the hike would not impact the government’s flagship scheme providing 200 units of free electricity to the poorest households.
“The rates of electricity won’t increase. We said that we will give 200 units to the poorest people for free. There is no connection between the price of electricity and this scheme. We will continue to provide free electricity to people,” he said.
Defending the revision, the Chief Minister argued that the increase was marginal compared to the rise in other essential commodities and fuel prices over the same period.
“We increased the rate of electricity by only 6 per cent. That too after four years. How much more did the prices increase during that time? Where did the prices of oil reach? Where did the prices of the goods you buy from the market reach? We increased the rate of electricity as much as we could,” he said.
‘BJP kept silent when they hiked rates by 15%’
In a sharp counter-attack, CM Omar reminded his political detractors of their own record, pointing out that electricity tariffs had risen by over 14 per cent during the BJP’s previous tenure in the state, and by 15 per cent just four years ago.
“But those who point fingers at me, they should remember that they have also ruled here. During their rule, the rate of electricity increased by more than 14 per cent. At that time, they didn’t feel that it was injustice. Four years ago, the rate of electricity increased by 15 per cent. Even then, the BJP people remained silent,” Omar said.
“This was our compulsion. We are not celebrating by increasing the rate of electricity,” he added, in an apparent reference to the mounting financial losses in the power sector that have forced the government to take the unpopular decision.
The Chief Minister also reiterated his government’s commitment to promoting solar energy, stating that he had repeatedly told the assembly that solar panels would be provided free of cost to households, a move aimed at cushioning the impact of the tariff hike on the common man.
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