Union new and renewable energy minister Dr Farooq Abdullah has retained the presidency of the National Conference but named his son and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah as the party’s working president.
The senior Abdullah told reporters that he has reorganised the hierarchy of the ruling party and in order to make it stronger has made his younger brother Sheikh Mustafa Kamal the additional general secretary.
Mr Kamal was given that post and also made the chief spokesperson of the National Conference in October 2011 but he was removed after he made statements against the Congress, which is the ruling coalition partner, and against the Army.
While Dr Abdullah’s cousin and foster brother Sheikh Nazir Ahmad will continue to be the party’s general secretary, former minister and member of Parliament Muhammad Shaffi has been made its chief spokesperson.
Senior partyman and MLA of Kishtwar constituency Sajjad Kichloo will be the NC’s spokesperson for Jammu region, Tanvir Sadiq as spokesperson for Kashmir division and Javed Rana as vice-president of the National Conference’s Gujjar-Bakkerwal cell.
Explaining the urgency of these top-level changes in the party, Dr Farooq Abdullah said, “Due to my busy schedule I’m not able to spare time for party activities. So the party unanimously decided to appoint Omar Abdullah as its working president.”
“He has been assigned this responsibility because he stays in the state and can manage the affairs,” the National Conference president said. He added that as party president, time to time he would keep reviewing the happenings in the NC. “I’ve no plan to quit state politics and settle in the Centre. I will continue as National Conference president,” he said.