Recently, the Parliament passed a resolution abrogating Article 370 which granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir and also passed a Bill whereby Jammu & Kashmir stands bifurcated into two union territories, viz. Ladakh (without legislature) and Jammu & Kashmir (with legislature). This move had left the Muftis and Abdullahs, the two families which have almost exclusively enjoyed political power in Jammu & Kashmir, shell shocked. Reacting to this development, Farooq Abdullah, former Chief Minister of the state, went on to claim that the matter will be taken to Court.
However, the two families are in for more disappointment. As per a TOI report, former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Ministers were immune from the Supreme Court verdict that occupying a constitutional post does not guarantee use of an official residence for life, only by virtue of Article 370. Now, that Article 370 has been abrogated and rendered inoperative by a Presidential Order followed by a resolution passed by the Parliament, the former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Ministers won’t enjoy the privilege of living in official bungalows for life as a necessary corollary of the aforementioned development.
Barring Farooq Abdullah, all former Jammu & Kashmir chief ministers, including Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad, have retained their rent-free bungalows. These bungalows are located in Srinagar’s Gupkar Raad area. Though Farooq Abdullah does not reside in an official bungalow, he claims rent against the official bungalow to which he is entitled as the former chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir. Nearly all the former Chief Ministers, barring Ghulam Nabi Azad, have spent hefty sums on renovating these bungalows. As per sources, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti cumulatively spent around Rs. 50 crores on the renovation of their bungalows when they were in power. As per an official of the Jammu & Kashmir Estate’s Department, Rs. 20 crores had been spent on renovating Omar Abdullah’s bungalow during his tenure as the chief minister of the state from 2009 to 2014. His renovated bungalow includes modern amenities such as a gym and sauna.
Leaders of the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have reportedly cited “security concerns” for the former chief ministers continuing in their official bungalows even after their terms as the chief minister ended. Not only bungalows, but the former Chief Ministers also enjoy a number of other expensive privileges such as an entire contingent of staff and bullet-proof vehicles.
The families, which saw themselves as the first families of Jammu & Kashmir are probably the biggest and only victims of the recent political reforms in the state. While this is going to strengthen the unity and territorial sovereignty of India and bring prosperity to Kashmir, the Abdullahs and Muftis, which cumulatively consist of three, living former Chief Ministers, stand to lose in a big way.