*PDP, BJP delegations brief Governor on their view points
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 2: Governor NN Vohra’s separate meetings with delegations of PDP and BJP, the two largest parties in the State Assembly which had run the coalition Government together for 10 months till the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7, failed to break the political impasse in the State today with PDP president Mehbooba Mufti insisting on more Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) for peace and development of the State while BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav saying there should be no new conditions (on formation of the Government).
The BJP delegation, which also called on the Governor after the PDP, sought time of eight to 10 days from Vohra as the leaders of two parties met him at Raj Bhavan separately this afternoon for half an hour each and conveyed to him their view point on the new Government. The BJP delegation said the Governor has accepted their demand (the grant of more time to make their stand clear on formation of the Government).
With PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who was accompanied by Muzaffar Beig, Lok Sabha member from Baramulla-Kupwara constituency, insisting on announcement of new CBMs for Jammu and Kashmir for peace and development of the State, BJP national general secretary, Incharge Jammu and Kashmir, who was architect of PDP-BJP alliance last year, hit back saying: “there are no new conditions, neither there should be any (from the PDP)’’.
“There are no new conditions (from the PDP), neither there should be any,’’ Madhav said.
At the same time, the top BJP leader said, the BJP wants the PDP-BJP alliance to continue as this was formed on the basis of ‘Agenda of Alliance’ for better governance in Jammu and Kashmir.
This was first official reaction from Mehbooba Mufti on the Government formation in Jammu and Kashmir after the death of her father and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7 following which the Council of Ministry had ceased to exist in the State and Governor’s Rule was imposed on January 8.
Yesterday, Governor NN Vohra had invited PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and BJP president Sat Sharma CA at Raj Bhavan at 4.30 pm and 6 pm respectively today for inter-action on the Government formation as both head the largest parties in the Assembly, which ran the coalition for a little over 10 months.
Official sources told the Excelsior that neither of the two previous coalition partners (PDP and BJP) staked claim to form the Government in their meetings with the Governor.
In a brief inter-action with reporters after half an hour long meeting with the Governor in the presence of senior party leader Muzaffar Beig, Mehbooba did not spell out what she told Vohra over Government formation but Dr Nirmal Singh, the BJP Legislature Party leader, who headed three members party delegation comprising Sat Sharma CA, State president and Jugal Kishore Sharma, Lok Sabha member from Jammu-Poonch, said BJP will take any step only after PDP elects its Legislature Party leader and notifies the Governor about it.
Emerging from the meeting, Mehbooba set certain conditions to ally BJP, including CBMs by the Centre for peace and development of the State.
Insisting that there are “no differences” with BJP, she said Jammu and Kashmir is different from other States and needs a “good atmosphere, space and a fillip” if a new Government is to be formed.
She said her late father Mufti Sayeed, without bothering about his “political career”, had aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the hope that the Centre will bring out the State from the difficult situation it is in.
“Jammu and Kashmir is a different State, there are different challenges. In Jammu and Kashmir, there are several forces which need to be tackled. We need the Centre to be fully with us,” the PDP chief said.
Repeatedly asked about what she wants from the Centre, Mehbooba said there was a need for the Confidence Building Measures not only for Kashmir, but also for Jammu and Ladakh but refused to spell out the CBMs, which she wanted the Central Government to initiate before formation of the Government.
Refusing to specify the CBMs, she referred to the ‘Agenda of Alliance’, saying it had been firmed up at the highest level by the two parties last year.
Hailing her late father for his guts, she said she does not have such “experience”.
To a question, she said there are “no differences” with BJP but such measures should be taken by the Centre which will ensure that Sayeed’s absence is not felt.
After BJP delegation met the Governor, Dr Nirmal Singh, who was Deputy Chief Minister in the previous PDP-BJP Government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, said: “we want that the alliance should continue. Modi sahab and Mufti sahab had a vision regarding Jammu and Kashmir. We complete that vision. But Constitutional problem is that until PDP selects a leader and tell the Governor and moves further to form a Government till then we can’t take further steps’’.
Dr Singh said the BJP has sought a time of eight to 10 days from the Governor to further clarify their stand on the Government to which the Governor has agreed.
PDP, with 27 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly and BJP with 25 legislators plus three allies, ran a coalition Government headed by Mufti Sayeed for 10 months before his demise on January 7.
Just before the meetings with the Governor, BJP leader Dr Nirmal Singh also met Mehbooba at the State Guest House, where she was staying soon after she arrived here from Srinagar for the first time since the demise of her father.
The BJP leader met the PDP chief after returning from Delhi where he along with Sat Sharma CA and Jugal Kishore had gone yesterday and met BJP national president Amit Shah to brief him on political situation and take his guidance on moving forward.
“It was a courtesy call. Nothing more than that,” he told reporters after meeting Mehbooba.
“We wish to continue with vision envisaged by (Narendra) Modi Ji and Mufti sahib on J&K,” Singh said
Asked whether the PDP-BJP coalition would continue, he said, “yes”.
On when the Government would be formed, he said “At present, I cannot give a time frame. But we hope very soon democratic Government will be put in place here.”
Mehbooba, who spoke to media for the first time since her father’s death, said “there is nothing like trust deficit (between PDP and BJP).
“We have to form a new Government in Jammu and Kashmir. Mufti Sahab is not there and to fill his gap, the Government of India has to take some (confidence building measures) for the people of Jammu and Kashmir for which the new Government will get a space and fillip”.
Seeking full backing of the Modi Government ahead of Government formation, she said, “You have to fight a lot of forces and to fight these forces and to ensure control of situation of Jammu and Kashmir, it is important that the Central Government should fully stand behind us.”
Giving some details about the meeting with Vohra, she said, “the Governor had invited us. He wanted to know where has the process of Government formation reached’’?
Indicating her willingness to carry forward the alliance with BJP, she said, “before formation of new Government, the Centre, not BJP, should take such measures in Jammu and Kashmir so that a conducive atmosphere is created in Jammu and Kashmir and when this new Government is formed, it gets a space and fillip.”
She added, “I have said this. I have discussed it with the Governor sahab also that this is what our party has to say.”
Contending that PDP had firmed up alliance with BJP in the “larger interest” of the people, she said, “You know that our Mufti sahab respected the mandate of last year and keeping in view the aspirations of the people of J&K, he took a big decision by rising above his personal interest and party interest.”
She said, “the alliance went well. Despite his (Mufti’s) towering statesmanship, he faced lot of difficulties in his month’s rule because it was understood that there are two parties of different point of views and there are going to be contradictions and it (coalition) went on.
“When Mufti sahib is no more with us. It is a big responsibility and in such a situation in Jammu and Kashmir, there is a need for a conducive environment for forming the Government of BJP and PDP.”
Mehbooba said her father’s commitments and vision are “sacred” for her and “if we want to have good Government”, measures should be taken to create “good atmosphere” for that.
After BJP delegation met Vohra, Nirmal Singh said, “We have asked the Governor to give us time so that we can resolve whatever is outstanding (with PDP). We have sought 10 days’ time from the Governor.”
The BJP leader said the process of opening channels of communication with PDP will start soon.
Contending that BJP wants the alliance to continue, he said, “Modi sahab and Mufti sahab had a vision regarding Jammu and Kashmir. We complete that vision. But Constitutional problem is that until PDP selects a leader and tell the Governor and moves further to form a Government, after that only we can move ahead Constitutionally.”
The alliance with the PDP was formed for six years, the BJP leader said, adding, “but unfortunately our Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is no longer amongst us and we are largely in the favour of this alliance moving ahead”
Singh said the delay in the formation of the Government was because of the PDP as they have not been able to elect their leader to form the Government.
When asked about the assurances being sought by PDP before forging the alliance, he said his party has not received anything “officially” from the coalition partner.
“See, we have not received anything officially about assurances because we are coalition partners and whatever we will discuss it will be in front of each other. Nothing of this sort has come as yet,” said Singh who was flanked by State BJP president Sat Sharma and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma.
He said PDP has not set any pre-condition and the party (PDP) just wanted to review the progress on the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance.
“It is about the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance and even if Mufti Mohammad Sayeed would have been alive he too would have reviewed the process of the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance,” Singh said.
About the pre-conditions being set by the PDP, “We are not sure as they have not said anything about that”.
He said State leadership of the party met the Central leadership of the party in New Delhi Yesterday and presented their point of view to them.
Asked whether the BJP was ready to give any more assurances to the coalition partner PDP, he said the alliance would not drift from the conditions already agreed upon in the Agenda of Alliance
“See, everything is written in the Agenda of Alliance. Neither they have asked anything that is outside the purview of Agenda of Alliance neither we have said anything”, he said.
An official handout issued by the PDP said Mehbooba Mufti told the Governor that her party wants a Government in Jammu and Kashmir not for power but for inspiring confidence among the people, about its ability to solve the multiple problems faced by the State on political, economic, administrative and financial fronts.
“I told the Governor that we want a Government in the State that will actively address the plethora of problems confronting Jammu and Kashmir and for this Central Government shall have to take some concrete confidence building measures,” she told reporters after meeting the Governor.
Ms Mehbooba said most of the crucial political, economic and administrative issues that need immediate attention through tangible confidence building steps, both by the State and the Central Government, have already been emphasized in the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ and if implemented with sincerity of purpose these could to a large extent respond to the complex problems of J&K, faced as it is with decades long political uncertainty, economic disempowerment, development deficit, unfulfilled aspirations and mounting unemployment.
Ms Mehbooba said despite having taken a huge political risk of going against the public sentiment in Kashmir by aligning not with BJP or Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, but with the people who elected Modi.
“It was the credibility and stature of Mufti Sahab that despite facing enormous resource constraints and frequent unsettling issues during the past 10 months, he kept the things moving on the governance and development fronts and even ventured out into the areas in Kashmir, especially in Srinagar, where no mainstream politician would dare to go,” she said and added that although PDP faced various challenges in the 10 months of its alliance with BJP, unfortunately, Mufti Sahab’s resolute decision was not reciprocated by the Central Government, the way he expected it to be.
Ms Mehbooba said that Mufti Sahab had a vision that given the decisive mandate enjoyed by Narendra Modi, the Government of India, under him, would take effective and realistic steps to address the political, economic and administrative challenges confronting J&K to ensure lasting peace and stability in the State.
“Mufti Sahab’s vision was not only to bring the people of various regions closer to each other, but to bridge the trust deficit between J&K and the rest of the country and he expected adequate support from the Government of India in this enterprise of hope,” she said and added it’s not about the BJP and PDP, it is about formation of a Government in J&K which will pull the State out of the morass.
Ms Mehbooba said if a Government is to be formed in the State, it will have to take tangible measures to address the causes of alienation, trust and development deficit in Jammu and Kashmir and work towards finding a long-lasting solution to the problem plaguing the State for the past more than six decades.
“Today, it is not about the BJP and PDP. It is about what we tell the people about fulfilling Mufti Sahab’s vision. We need tangible confidence building measures to be taken by the Central Government to give the new Government in J&K a fillip,” she said and added the Centre needs to create an environment to infuse confidence, and unless that happens, “we cannot move forward’’.
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