AMN / JAMMU
Within hours of getting sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir BJP leader Kavinder Gupta yesterday sparked a controversy after he called the incident of rape of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu’s Kathua a “small incident”.
The minister later accused the media of misinterpreting his statement. Speaking to the media, Gupta said that the Kathua rape is a small incident and it should not be given too much importance. “It (Kathua rape and murder) was a small thing. We have to be careful in the future that such incidents are not repeated,” Gupta told reporters.
Earlier Jammu and Kashmir Assembly speaker Kavinder Gupta, state BJP chief Sat Paul Sharma and six others were on Monday sworn in as ministers in the state’s PDP-BJP government led by Mehbooba Mufti. The major shake-up of the council of ministers, including six of the BJP and two of the PDP — follows BJP ministers Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga resigning from the cabinet earlier this month after they were criticised for taking part in a rally in support of those accused in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua.
Kavinder Gupta, described as an old RSS hand, will be the new deputy chief minister in place of Nirmal Singh, who submitted his resignation last night, officials said.
BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, who attended the swearing-in ceremony, said today’s changes had no connection with the Kathua rape case. “Our government has completed three years in power so we decided to have a reshuffle in the cabinet and give an opportunity to new faces,” Madhav said,
Besides Gupta and Sharma, the new BJP faces sworn in as ministers were the MLAs from Kathua and adjoining Sambha, Rajiv Jasrotia and Devinder Kumar Manyal, respectively. The BJP also upgraded Sunil Sharma, at present minister of state for transport, to the rank of a cabinet minister. BJP legislator Shakti Raj took oath as a minister of state.
From the PDP, Pulwama MLA Mohammed Khalil Band and Sonawar MLA Mohammed Ashraf Mir took oath as ministers.
Of the eight, seven are first time ministers. Seven of the eight are cabinet ministers.