Thaindian News

Jammu, Dec 25 (IANS) Seeking to end the clamour within his party about the rotation of the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister’s post, state Congress chief Saifuddin Soz Sunday asserted that he would deliver the final word on the subject.

“What all others say about the issue is irrelevant, including the statements of (senior Congress leaders) Mangat Ram Sharma and Madan Lal Sharma,” Soz told a local TV channel here.

“Unless or until I speak on the issue, no credence should be given to the statements by other party leaders,” said Soz.

He was reacting to reports in a section of media suggesting that five ministers and two other legislators had submitted their resignations to the party high command to step up pressure for a Congress chief minister in the state, to replace the National Conference’s Omar Abdullah.

Soz, who had earlier declared that the matter of the rotational chief minister would be decided by the party high command, denied any resignations on the issue.

The change in Soz’s stand is being attributed to the strong opposition of the NC to any change, as it believes that it has got the mandate to rule for six years as the leading partner, with Abdullah as chief minister.

NC sources said they had conveyed to the Congress high command that repeated statements of Soz loyalists on the issue of the rotational chief minister were creating uncertainty in the state.