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| Mehbooba punctures grand alliance balloon | | Praises Modi, Vajpayee; ignores NC's unconditional support offer, Cong sermons | | Fazal Khan
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 31: People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti hinting at the possibility of her party joining hands with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to form the next government in Jammu and Kashmir has punctured the grand alliance balloon, the idea mooted by the senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. He (Azad) had suggested that PDP, NC and Congress should join hands to keep BJP at bay.
Mehbooba Mufti, leader of the PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party with 28 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly, after meeting Governor N N Vohra said the "decisive but divided" mandate in the state was both a challenge and opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been talking about development. "For NDA government, it is a big responsibility. For Modi, it is a big responsibility. Jammu and Kashmir has been the biggest challenge for any PM right from Nehru till date," she told reporters.
The PDP chief also referred to the steps taken by the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and expressed dismay over Congress led UPA-government dumping the initiatives which were taken by the Vajpayee regime.
She claimed that PDP enjoys the support of 55 MLAs and would form the next government. BJP-PDP together have 53 seats while Peoples Conference led by Sajad Lone has 2 seats and Lone has made it clear that he would support any government which has BJP in it.
Sources told Early Times that after hectic deliberations PDP and BJP have come close to striking a deal over the next government formation in JK. Mehbooba praising Modi and Vajpayee has made it clear which way is PDP going.
Soon after Mehbooba hinted at PDP-BJP alliance, the National Conference which had initially opposed the grand alliance idea mooted by the senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, issued a statement offering unconditional support to PDP. "As stated by our Working President, Omar Abdullah, our offer of unconditional support to the PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party in the state, stands and this remains unchanged. There has been absolutely no change in this," a NC spokesman said in a statement.
The NC insiders revealed that PDP showing inclination towards BJP and paying no heed to support offers given by Congress and NC has unnerved the leaders in both the camps. "Many NC leaders fear that if they would have no say in the next government they may face tough time in coming years as the new dispensation would expose their misdeeds and misadventures," the insider added.
Sources said that NC and Congress were hoping that talks between PDP and BJP would fail as both the parties want Chief Minister's post but that has not happened.
Congress is still desperate to sneak in and its leaders are giving sermons to the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to stay away from BJP.
Sources said that soon after Mehbooba met the Governor N N Vohra in Jammu today, NC activated its few leaders and asked them to get in touch with the PDP MLAs, who are averse to PDP-BJP alliance. "Desperate efforts of NC seems to have yielded no results as PDP MLAs have made it clear that they would abide by the decisions which would be taken by the party high command," they added.
Sources said that NC mediators have conveyed it to the party leadership to get ready to sit in the opposition and not to dream big. |
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