Final decision to be taken by Chief Minister after his return from Australia
Jammu: With no official word on the acceptance of Adviser to the Chief Minister Amitabh Mattoo’ resignation by the Chief Minister’s office, grapevine suggests that he may continue to hold the highest office.He had resigned on November 23 from the post after a senior bureaucrat had an argument with him. This irked Mattoo and he resigned from the post.But the Chief Minister hasn’t accepted his resignation. The final decision will be taken by the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti once Mattoo is back from Australia.Mattoo had resigned on November 23 after having an argument with the senior bureaucrat during a meeting at the civil secretariat here. His resignation shocked many and many PDP leaders back Mattoo and want him to continue.Sources said after the argument with the senior bureaucrat, visibly upset Mattoo had informed Mehbooba Mufti about the incident, but at that time the Chief Minister had no idea of the gravity of the situation, which made Mattoo put up his resignation.“After this incident, Mattoo met Mehbooba Mufti again on Thursday morning and had a detailed discussion with her for around 25 minutes before leaving for Australia. Mattoo discussed the issue with the CM at length and both agreed that they belong to the same school of thought and have been nurtured by late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed politically,” said a source.“In the meantime, the particular bureaucrat apologised to the CM and to Mattoo,” the source added.Mattoo, Padam Shri awardee, still holds the basic membership of the PDP and post of the Adviser to the CM. He has been very close to the late Mufti Sayeed and is a renowned intellectual whose work has been appreciated by Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. He is an academician of international repute and before being appointed as Adviser to the CM, he was working as the Director, Australia India Institute, and Professor at the University of Melbourne.Sources said when he would be back in the country, a new role would be crafted for him and he might continue as Adviser to the CM. (TNS)