Srinagar, June 5: BJP MLA R.S. Pathania on Friday demanded the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, saying that if he does not resign on moral grounds over allegations raised by legislators from the ruling alliance, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should immediately dismiss him from the Cabinet.
Addressing the media, the Udhampur East legislator said serious accusations made by members of the ruling alliance against the Deputy Chief Minister warranted immediate action.
“If he lacks the moral conscience to resign, the Chief Minister should shunt him out of the Cabinet,” Pathania said.
The BJP leader also levelled allegations of irregularities in the Roads and Buildings Department and claimed that corruption had become rampant in the Mining Department.
He alleged that illegal mining had been institutionalised, accusing authorities of allowing excessive extraction from riverbeds and streams, which he said could aggravate flood risks in the region.
Targeting the National Conference-led government, Pathania dismissed the party’s recent Dachigam meeting as a “picnic hobnob” intended to divert public and media attention from pressing governance issues.
He accused the government of failing to fulfil its election promises despite receiving a strong public mandate and claimed that key commitments remained unaddressed.
Referring to the issue of daily-wage workers, Pathania said the government had failed to take concrete steps towards their regularisation. He alleged that repeated assurances about committees and reviews had yielded no tangible results, drawing parallels with a similar exercise undertaken during previous administrations.
The BJP legislator further claimed that the government had failed to deliver effective governance despite substantial support from the Centre over the past 19 months.
“Daily governance is suffering, and the very presence of the government is hardly visible. Every day brings a new controversy and confusion,” he said.
Pathania also backed the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir, saying comprehensive and error-free voter lists were essential for strengthening the democratic process.
