Now, no-confidence motion against Srinagar mayor

Amid prevailing political uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir, a no-confidence-motion, apparently at the behest of the BJP, was moved by 40 corporators of Srinagar Municipal Corporation against Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday a similar motion was moved against incarcerated deputy Mayor Sheikh Imran by 47 out of 70 corporators of the SMC.

SMC Commissioner, Khurshid Sanai confirmed that no-confidence-motion has been moved against the Mayor. “Under rules, after 48-hours, we will go for the floor test,” he said.

Sources told DH that the BJP was behind the coup against the Mayor and his deputy, who both belong to Peoples Conference (PC) led by Sajjad Lone.

While Imran is undergoing detention along with dozens of other political leaders since August 5 when the Center revoked J&K’s special status under Article 370, Mattu is reportedly ailing from past some months.

Lone was a minister on BJP quota in the erstwhile PDP-BJP government from March 2015 to June 2018. However, it seems the separatist-turned-mainstream leader is drifting away from the saffron party. He hogged the headline in November 2014 when he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘Bada Bhai (elder brother) after meeting him in New Delhi.

After the fall of Mehbooba Mufit government in June 2018, speculations were rife that Lone was BJP’s choice for the coveted post of Chief Minister of the erstwhile state. “However, as the new political formation could not take shape and the Assembly was dismissed by the Governor in November 2018, Lone has since lost the confidence of the BJP top brass in Delhi,” sources told DH.

“His being part of ‘Gupkar deceleration’ signed by most of the top mainstream political leaders of Kashmir hours before the center revoked Article 370 on August 5 didn’t go well with the BJP top brass in Delhi. The establishment in Delhi also lost trust on Sajjad after he sided with soft-separatism plank adopted by the National Conference and the PDP leadership,” they revealed.