The transition of power in Jammu & Kashmir following the demise of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has been delayed as his grief-stricken daughter Mehbooba Mufti is unwilling to take oath during the four-day mourning period.
J&K Governor NN Vohra who was compelled to step in and head the State as caretaker for the time being, wrote to Mehbooba, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and her BJP counterpart SP Sharma late on Friday evening seeking their respective positions on the formation of the new Government.
PDP insiders said that Mehbooba is likely to take oath next week after the fatiah khwani — (a ceremony marking end of the mourning period) for the departed leader — is observed on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the PDP’s coalition partner the BJP held a meeting of legislators and senior leaders at the Circuit House to discuss the emerging situation.
Attended by the BJP’s national secretary general Ram Madhav, who played a pivotal role in cobbling up the coalition in February last year, the meeting discussed the emerging political situation in the embattled State in the wake of the Mufti’s passing away.
Earlier, Madhav drove straight to Mufti’s official residence to offer condolences to the bereaved family. He had an hour-long meeting with Mehbooba, during which none of the leaders from either party were present.
The Governor is believed to have written to President Pranab Mukherjee for the interim arrangement.
The short-term arrangement would continue till the swearing-in ceremony takes place.
Sources said that Mehbooba might take oath on Monday, the birth anniversary of the late Mufti, who would have turned 80 on January 11.
Member of Parliament and eminent jurist Muzaffar Hussain Baig clarified that delay in oath-taking would not result in any sort of constitutional crisis. “A constitutional crisis arises when there is no solution. There is no crisis in J&K, but only a Constitutional technicality. After the demise of any Chief Minister his successor is supposed to take oath within a day. But when this is not possible, the Governor simply sends a report to the President of India who in turn submits it to the Cabinet. Governor’s Rule for the time being can be imposed in such a situation and we must understand that Governor’s Rule doesn’t imply any crisis but it is an arrangement for a certain period of time,” Baig told reporters.
He said that Mehbooba is in deep grief and she must be given time to reconcile. “She (Mehbooba) and her family members are in deep shock and it is impossible for her to take oath at this point of time. How can we approach her and ask her to take oath”, he asked. He claimed that the BJP has no objection over the transition of power and handing over the baton to Mehbooba.
There are reports that BJP is seeking a bigger share and revisiting the Agenda of Alliance that was sealed before the formation of the Mufti Sayeed-led coalition on March 1, 2015. However, the PDP has flatly refused to make any amendments.
Meanwhile, a Raj Bhawan spokesman said that the Governor was in touch with the coalition partners on Government formation. “Besides being in touch with the leadership of the coalition Government partners, Vohra has also addressed letters to PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and BJP president SP Sharma, to inform them about their respective positions regarding formation of the new Government”, the spokesman said.
Sources said that the Governor’s letters have set off the process for imposition of short-term Governor’s Rule in the State.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah defended Mehbooba Mufti’s reluctance to take oath for the time-being. “Why is the BJP forcing this uncertainty on the StateIJ Mehbooba, understandably, needs time to grieve but these guys…IJ”, he wrote on Twitter.