SRINAGAR: Defying his expulsion by the National Conference (NC), Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council (KAHDC) Chief Executive Councillor Mohammad Jaffar Akhoon on Monday refused to resign and inducted two new executive councillors in place of Congress members, amid a dramatic political realignment that saw the NC join hands with the BJP to pass the council's annual budget.
The NC has expelled Akhoon from the basic membership of the party for a period of six years.
The NC acted against its CEC Akhoon after passage of the annual budget of the Kargil hill council with the support of six BJP members last week.
Of the total 30 councillors, a total of 20 councillors including all 12 NC Councilors, six BJP councilors, one independent and Congress councilor attended the council meeting and approved the budget with none voting against it.
The passage of budget assumed significance as 16 councillors including nine from Congress, five from NC and two independents had submitted a no-confidence motion against CEC Akhoon in May after he refused to step down on completion of his two and a half years term as per power-sharing agreement between NC and Congress.
However, CEC Akhoon told the TNIE that his expulsion from the party was a compulsion of NC to appease its ally Congress and keep it in good humour.
“I will not step down. It will not have any impact on my position as I enjoy support of 20 out of 30 members,” he said, adding the no-confidence motion against him has become irrelevant after the passage of the budget as he has proved his majority.
In another act of defiance, the CEC has appointed two more executive council members of the Kargil Hill council after two Congress members had resigned to press him to step down and pave the way for Congress to take over power of the council.
“I have appointed one NC and one independent councilor as executive council members for the smooth functioning of the council,” he said.
According to Akhoon, BJP has extended full support to his council. “They will not be joining the council but will support me from outside”.
In the 30-member Kargil Hill Council comprising 26 elected and four nominated members, NC has 12 councillors, Congress 10, BJP six (including four nominated members) and two are independents.
Akhoon said he wants a good and working relationship with the BJP-led government in centre as being a UT, “we are directly dependent on central government funding. I want development of Kargil and this is possible with the help of central help and not with confrontation, which is Congress agenda”.
According to CEC Akhoon, with five new districts having been created recently and Leh Hill Council already standing dissolved, political stability in Kargil was essential for governance and development.