Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, Sept 23: Setting at rest all speculations, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed tonight said the PDP-BJP alliance Government will complete its full term notwithstanding the controversies surrounding it, one after the other, the latest being the ban imposed on beef consumption by Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Sayeed made the important announcement at a meeting of the PDP Ministers, legislators and other senior party leaders at his official residence tonight. The meeting lasted two and half hours and majority of Ministers and legislators attended it. However, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was not present as she has been leading the official Indian delegation for Haj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Highly placed party insiders told the Excelsior late tonight after the meeting that Mufti Sayeed categorically declared in the meeting that the PDP-BJP Government was not facing any threat due to certain “controversial issues” cropping up and would last its full term.
Insiders said the Mufti turned very emotional at one stage of his speech and declared that he hadn’t formed the Government for “lust of power” but to take the State on the path of development.
“I want to implement the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ and give ‘good governance’ to Jammu and Kashmir. That is my agenda and not the power. We will fulfill our agenda and come up to expectations of the people,” he told the party leaders at the dinner meeting.
“No doubt, certain controversial issues have surfaced. We have been facing the issues. Both coalition partners are facing the issues but we will overcome them. The Alliance will not face any threat due to the controversial issues,” Mufti is reported to have told the senior party leaders including Ministers and legislators in the meeting.
Recalling that the PDP had formed alliance with the BJP after great thought, the Chief Minister was reported to have told the meeting that both parties had entered into the coalition to respect mandate of the two regions of the State. He reiterated his remarks that the Alliance between PDP and BJP was the union of North Pole and South Pole.
Insiders said the Mufti listened with keen interest the criticism of some of the party Ministers by some of the legislators, who spoke in the meeting before the address of Mufti Sayeed. “This shouldn’t happen. The Ministers should pay due courtesy to each and every one from common masses to the party leaders and all others, who visit them. This should be the priority of the Ministers. They should address the issues faced by the people and highlighted by the public representatives,” he asserted.
Sources noted that Mufti Sayeed didn’t refer to any of the controversial issues in his address including the beef controversy, which had cropped up after the High Court imposed ban on beef in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We should exercise caution and restraint on all controversial issues. We should focus only on governance and development and addressing issues of the people. We should also strengthen the party,” he said, adding that Mufti Sayeed cautioned the party leaders that more controversies can surround the party but “we will not deviate from our agenda of governance and development”.
Sources pointed out that the meeting didn’t discuss the controversial issues.
The Chief Minister is reported to have said that the State had suffered setback due to last year’s floods but will continue to concentrate on development.
PDP Lok Sabha members Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Tariq Hamid Karra were conspicuous by their absence in the meeting.
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