Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 17: National Conference president and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Farooq Abdullah today called for dissolution of the State Assembly and holding fresh elections in the State under the Governor’s Rule if PDP and BJP, the two parties which had run Government in coalition for 10 months till the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, failed to form a Government in the State.
Speaking to reporters this morning, Dr Abdullah said it was responsibility of the PDP and BJP, the two being major political parties in terms of their strength in the Legislative Assembly, to come forward and form the Government again.
However, he added, if the two parties are unable to form the Government and solve problems of the people then the Assembly must be dissolved and the State should go to fresh Assembly elections under the Governor’s Rule, which has been imposed in the State since January 8 after the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
“If PDP and BJP, which have numbers to form the Government, are unable to cobble up an alliance once again, which they had formed after November-December 2014 Assembly elections, the State must go for the Assembly elections,” Farooq said.
Noting that National Conference has only 15 MLAs in the House of 87 and can’t form the Government, the NC president said the party didn’t have mandate to form the Government.
“We have no mandate. We can’t form the Government with 15-16 MLAs. Let the parties, who have the numbers form the Government,” Dr Abdullah said and advised the erstwhile coalition partners BJP and PDP to iron out their difference and form the Government without any delay as it was not good for the sensitive border State like Jammu and Kashmir to keep it under the Governor’s Rule for a long time.
“Delay is a bad thing, for this State. Delay is a bad thing it is a border State (that is) going through a difficult stage. They (PDP and BJP) have the mandate and they must sit down and solve the problems of the people that is why they were elected. And if they cannot solve the problems of the people they must dissolve the Assembly and hold a new election,” he said.
The NC patron and former J-K CM blamed 27-member PDP for the ongoing political uncertainty in the State.
“Uncertainty has been created by PDP, as BJP is ready to form the Government and God knows what PDP is thinking, I hope they end this and the Government would continue,” he said.
The National Conference with 15 MLAs is third largest political party in the Assembly after PDP, which has 27 MLAs and BJP 25. While PDP and BJP were in the Government, the NC was main opposition party in the Assembly though it fell short by seven MLAs to be recognized as the opposition party in the House. The Congress has 12 MLAs.
Abdullah said NC never shied away from its role. “In 1996, when nobody was ready for elections, we came forward.”
“I again say that uncertainty is not good for the State and the situation would benefit our enemies,” he added.
He said it was Mufti Sayeed who had forged the alliance between the two parties and it was the responsibility of his daughter and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to take their friendship ahead.
“But we have to first see that the friendship that existed should move forward. What is the benefit of such a friendship,” Abdullah said.
He said the coalition partners, PDP and BJP, must take the decision at the earliest as the people of the State should not be left to suffer.
“Whatever they (PDP and BJP) do, they must do it now and must not wait. I think that is more important now it is the people that matter and people want solutions to their problems and that is what they (both the parties) should focus,” he said.
He said he had never said that his party was going with the BJP as reported in section of media today.
“I had never said that we are going with BJP, it has to be made clear. I only said that PDP should form the Government with the BJP as they have the mandate. I only said that our party can discuss on anything in our working committee,” the former J&K Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, NC working president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today ruled out any tie up with BJP in Government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar said his party was not power hungry and would not make an ideological compromise.
“NC is not power hungry and is not interested in political power that comes through an ideological compromise. We shunned prospects of an alliance with the BJP a year ago and the reasons for having done that remain unchanged,” Omar wrote on his official Face book page today.
Omar said the senior Abdullah was responding to a hypothetical question based on a hypothetical situation and he never said that the party would support the BJP.
He only said that if any such request or proposal is received from the BJP, it will be taken up by the party’s working committee.
Omar said PDP is an ally of BJP, and NC is not obliged to rescue either PDP or BJP from the ensuing stalemate in their standing political alliance.
It must also be remembered that the working committee of the party, in its recent meeting in Srinagar, had endorsed the decision taken by NC a year ago to stay away from BJP and “we expect no change in that decision”, Omar said.
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