Sajjad Lone resigns; Mehbooba Mufti yet to accept it

Separatist-turned-politician Sajjad Gani Lone has resigned from the newly formed PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir, just a day after he was sworn-in. A decision on his resignation is yet to be taken as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was awaiting final word from BJP since he was made a minister from the quota of saffron party.

48-year-old Lone, son of former separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone, had tendered his resignation to Mehbooba yesterday apparently unhappy over the portfolio of Social Welfare and Administrative Reforms Training that was given to him after being sworn-in on April 4.

In the previous Mufti Mohammed Sayeed government, Lone was allocated Animal Husbandry portfolio over which he had resigned but was persuaded not to press for it. Lone did not meet any of the BJP leaders and instead left Jammu for New Delhi.

Sources close to him said that he had gone to the national capital for his eye treatment but did not rule out a possibility of meeting senior BJP leaders and register his unhappiness with them.