The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is systematically opening its cards to refresh alliance with the BJP in Jammu & Kashmir where Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s death led to Governor’s Rule after Mehbooba Mufti remained undecided on stepping into her late father’s shoes.
The PDP on Thursday obliquely said that during 10-months of PDP-BJP rule under the leadership of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, the developmental agenda was not fulfilled to the satisfaction of the party that drew its strength from Kashmir Valley.
A senior PDP leader and former Education Minister Naeem Akhtar said the party would review as to what has been achieved on the developmental front during the period of its alliance with the BJP.
“Mufti sahab had a vision for making J&K a modern State. Due to his death, his vision is yet to be realised. The party under the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti will need to review how much we have succeeded to fulfill Mufti Sahab’s vision so far,” Akhtar said.
The party is likely to hold its first meeting on Friday to deliberate on the political state of affairs. The meeting has been fixed after congregational prayers are held at Bijbehara where Mufti Sayeed was laid to rest on January 7.
Even as Akhtar swears by the Agenda of Alliance, a roadmap mutually set by the alliance partners before beginning the unprecedented coalition on March 1, 2015, he pointed out lacunae in its implementation, obviously blaming the Central Government for it.
“Our governance agenda were making smart cities, bring back power projects, and other development projects. We will analyse whether we can work smoothly on the governance agenda”, he said.
Akhtar said being a political issue, Mufti Sahab had envisioned making J&K paradise of peace. “PDP will assess whether Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who has a massive mandate of the country, has taken any decisions on it,” he said.
Akhtar said the Agenda of Alliance was not a scripture to be preserved and paid obeisance to, but it was set to be implemented on the ground.
He said the party leadership’s dilemma was that in absence of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, how would they carry along (with BJP) “Mufti Sahab had stature that he could absorb this. The dilemma in the PDP is that in absence of such a towering leader can we actually just go and sit in the Ministerial chairs and continue with the same thingIJ Akhtar told a TV channel.
Interestingly, Akhatr began talking to media a day after 7-day State mourning on sayeed’s demise ended and the party spokesman Mehboob Beg hinted that PDP was ready to tie-up with BJP for the continuation of the alliance.
The BJP has maintained discreet silence on PDP’s attitude. Even as BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav and in-charge of J&K Affairs Avinash Rai Khanna camped in Jammu for feedback and consultations, the party awaits PDP’s formal stance on Government formation. Techniccally, it is the PDP that has to take a final call on making, mending or breaking the alliance”, a senior jourlanist said.
The Opposition National Conference (NC) is elated over the uneasiness in the PDP. On Thursday the NC taunted the PDP for “officially admitting they deceived the people of J&K with their deeds brazenly contradicting the promises they had made in the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ with theBJP”.
“Senior PDP leader and Spokesperson Naeem Akhtar deserves to be congratulated for a belated discovery of the remnants of a moral conscience which has compelled him to finally admit that PDP had deceived the people of J&K by forging an alliance with the BJP and then going against every single political promise that was marketed in the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’,” NC spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said.
“PDP’s admission of treachery and deception under the cloak of a ‘review’ is a welcome development.”