A controversy erupted over the printing of People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s ‘Agenda of the Alliance’, which was published at a government press, with opposition National Conference alleging that it was misuse of official machinery.
The 16-page document “Agenda of the Alliance”, published by PDP and BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, was distributed among media persons yesterday at a press conference soon after the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed at Zorawar Singh Auditorium at the Jammu University.
The back cover of the document said that it was ‘Printed at Ranbir Govt. Press, Jammu’ which the opposition termed as the misuse of the “official machinery”.
“The oath-taking ceremony was held at 11 AM and it must have lasted for more than one hour. The press conference started at 1 PM on the same day, then how is it possible that this document was published at the Government Press so soon, this document must have been published much earlier,” NC leader and former state finance minister Abdul Rahim Rather said.
He claimed that document must have been published at the government press much before the formation of the government.
“This is a clear misuse of official machinery and these people in this very document promise to provide transparent government to the people of the state,” Rather said.
The NC leader also questioned whether a government was already in place even before the oath taking ceremony took place.
“This document was published at Ranbir Government press, was there a government already in place in the state,” he asked.
