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NC expels Soz for life

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The National Conference expelled Saifuddin Soz, the party MP who on Saturday defied its whip and voted Against the confidence motion tabled by the prime minister in the Lok Sabha.

"We have expelled him from the party for defying the whip. He has betrayed us," Bashir Ahmad, provincial secretary of NC told this correspondent on phone from Jammu.

He said the party's working committee, headed by the NC president and state Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, discussed the issue for four long hours and finally it "was unanimously decided to expel the MP from Baramullah".

Sources, however, said a majority of NC leaders, including MLAs and ministers, had told the leadership not to expel the MP who on Saturday voted against the confidence motion leading to the fall of the BJP government, and had instead favoured issue of showcause notice to Soz.

"There were heated exchanges and a good number of NC leaders favoured Soz's decision in Parliament which they felt was a face-saver for the party", admitted a senior NC leader. He said a group of senior NC leaders, including Public Works Minister Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Shah, however pressed for the expulsion of Soz from the party.

Saifuddin Soz, who was also invited to the working committee meeting, did not visit Jammu today. "I am waiting for the party to react, then only shall I chalk out the future course of action", Soz had told the English Daily Greater Kashmir today. He told the paper that he voted against the motion as "the interests of Kashmiris and Indian Muslims were supreme to individual interests".

NC sources admitted that the expulsion may trigger a division within the party. The local papers have been carrying prominently the statements of Soz for the past two days and the public response has also been worrying Dr Farooq Abdullah. The NC working committee also discussed the prevailing situation at the Centre and it was decided to continue support to the BJP. It was decided to watch the present situation and not to do anything that will "damage the present state-Centre relationship".

Farooq Abdullah is leaving for London and in his absence the working committee decided that Works Minister Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah will be acting chief minister and president of NC.

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