Sajjad Lone may join J&K cabinet if PDP, BJP seal deal
SRINAGAR: A few years ago, he was the face of separatists on all national news channels, now, Sajjad Lone might be a minister in Jammu and Kashmir state cabinet if the tie-up between the BJP and the PDP materialises.
BJP sources said say Lone was going to be part of the cabinet as the BJP had insisted on his inclusion along with five more ministers from the BJP side. The other names from BJP include Nirmal Singh — who is likely to be deputy chief minister with education portfolio.
At the PDP’s end, the names doing the rounds were of their chief negotiator with the BJP, Haseeb Drabu, spokesman Nayeem Akhtar and senior leader Altaf Bhukhari.
While the two parties were engaged in giving final touches to the alliance agenda, the BJP was likely to have another Muslim name in their list of ministers — Abdul Gani Kohli. Other names doing the rounds were Bali Bhagat, Chowdhary Lal Singh, Sham Choudhary, Kavinder Gupta and Sunil Sharma.
While reports suggested an unwritten alliance between the BJP and People’s Conference leader Sajjad Gani Lone even before the elections, indications were clear when Lone met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi last November.
While talking to HT before the results, Lone insisted that he had not “forgotten the aspirations of his people but would like to concentrate on development for time being.” This is the second innings for the youngest son of separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone, who had lost once before when he contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2009.