Jammu, November 11, 2026: Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma has strongly criticised the National Conference government’s decision to constitute informal advisory groups of its MLAs, alleging that the move is aimed at managing internal party dissent rather than improving governance or strengthening democratic institutions.
Reacting to the decision, Sharma questioned the authority under which National Conference patron Dr Farooq Abdullah was directing ministers of an elected government to report to party-level advisory groups. He argued that Farooq Abdullah does not hold any constitutional or governmental office and questioned the legitimacy of such an arrangement.
“Dr Farooq Abdullah holds no constitutional or governmental office. On what authority is a party president directing Ministers of an elected Government to report to party-level groups? This clearly exposes the reality that the Government is being run from Gupkar rather than the Civil Secretariat,” Sharma said.
The BJP leader alleged that the National Conference was creating parallel arrangements to address its internal political differences instead of strengthening established democratic institutions. He said the decision reflected what he described as a tendency to place party and family interests above public welfare and institutional accountability.
Sharma also expressed concern that giving NC MLAs exclusive access to ministers and advance information about government policy decisions could undermine democratic equality and sideline Opposition legislators. He maintained that representatives elected by voters from Opposition constituencies deserved equal respect, access and representation in governance.
“Governance cannot be based on party loyalty. Development must follow the needs and aspirations of the people, not the political convenience of the ruling party,” he said, adding that even the National Conference’s alliance partners had reportedly been kept outside the proposed arrangement.
Questioning the actual functioning of the advisory groups, Sharma sought clarification on whether they would have access to departmental files, authority to review government expenditure or powers to question government officers. He also questioned whether ministers would remain accountable to the Chief Minister and the elected Legislative Assembly or be answerable to the party president.
According to Sharma, if the groups have no administrative powers, they would merely serve as a consolation for dissatisfied NC legislators. However, if they are granted access to official information or administrative functions, they could develop into unaccountable parallel power centres outside the established constitutional framework.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir elected 90 MLAs, not just members of the National Conference,” he asserted.
The Leader of Opposition further argued that the arrangement bypasses the Legislative Assembly and its established committee system, which he described as the appropriate democratic mechanism for examining government policies, reviewing departmental performance and ensuring accountability.
He emphasised that ministers are accountable to the elected House and must answer questions raised by all legislators, including those belonging to Opposition parties. Sharma said no political party should monopolise the democratic process or restrict the role of elected representatives.
Raising another concern, Sharma questioned the propriety of ministers sharing official policy matters and departmental information with party-level advisory groups. He pointed out that ministers take an oath of secrecy and are bound by the responsibilities attached to their constitutional offices.
“Calling these groups ‘informal’ does not make the questions surrounding their functioning disappear. If they have no official role or authority, what purpose do they serve? And if they are being given access to official information and departmental functioning, under what rules and legal authority is this being done?” he questioned.
Sharma also alleged that the proposed groups were intended to accommodate dissatisfied NC legislators who could not be included in the Council of Ministers because of constitutional limits on the size of the ministry. He described the arrangement as political eyewash designed to keep unhappy MLAs within the party fold without assigning them meaningful responsibilities.
Suggesting an alternative, the BJP leader called for the establishment of All-Party Consultative Committees on the lines of parliamentary practices and mechanisms followed by other state legislatures.
He said such committees would provide representatives from all political parties an opportunity to participate in policy discussions, improve transparency and strengthen democratic accountability.
Concluding his statement, Sharma reiterated that ministers must remain answerable to the elected Legislative Assembly rather than party-level groups constituted by a political organisation.
“Ministers answer to the elected House, not to the president of a political party. The institutions of democracy must remain supreme, not the interests of one party or one family,” he said.
