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| Pullout or not pullout - PDP at horn of dilemma | | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Oct 21
PDP is at a horn of dilemma, whether to pullout of the Azad led coalition government in J&K are not as also about the appropriate time for the party to pullout rugs from under the feet of Ghulam Nabi Azad, if at all the party finally comes to the conclusion to part company with their ally, the Congress. Opinions in the party leadership at the high level is sharply divided over the future course of action for the party, whether to face the next elections to the state assembly being out of the government or remaining in it.
While the party President Mehbooba Mufti, who is considered to be a hardliner and uncompromising on having her way out, is adamant on pulling out of the coalition as soon as possible, since she does not foresee any possibility of demilitarization and even reduction of troops in Jammu and Kashmir in the near future. The categorical statements of the new Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor as well as of the Defense Minister A K Antony in the recent past, ruling out any reduction in the deployment of troops in J&K, in view of fresh stepping up of militancy in the state, are indications enough that centre is in no mood to yield before the persistent demand of PDP in this behalf. Carrying the tag of failure of their agenda and still continuing in the Congress led government will totally erode the credibility of PDP and harm its prospects in the next assembly elections, according to the assessment of Mehbooba Mufti and some others in the party thinking like her.
The rank and file as well as the second rung of leadership, particularly those who are not members of the state assembly presently also subscribe to the view point that the party is left with no alternative than to part company with the Congress and pull out of the coalition at this juncture, particularly in view of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad taking a hard stance viz a viz PDP, describing their advocacy of demilitarization and withdrawal of AFSPA etc as hollow slogans. It is also contended by the supporters of pulling out of coalition that after describing Azad led coalition government by the party patron and supreme leader, as a failure and not functioning to the satisfaction of the PDP, continuation of PDP in the coalition is untenable and will amount to party's lust for clinging in power, since the government failure attributed by Mufti, also casts reflection on the PDP, whose ministers in the coalition are holding important portfolios, like finance and planning, agriculture and tourism and horticulture etc, the success and failure of which can make or mar the success of a government.
However some senior party leaders, who are among the founders of the party, including the former Deputy Chief Minister Muzzafar Hussain Baig and the former Tourism and Housing, Urban Development Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir are opposed to any pullout from the coalition government. Rather they advocate continuance of the alliance between the two parties even in the next elections and beyond that. Muzzafar Hussain Baig has come out openly against the PDP pulling out of Azad led coalition government. Talking to some media persons in Kashmir, he is reported to have stated that he has advised the party patron Sayeed Mufti not to pullout of the coalition. Mr. Baig who did not attend the high level part meeting held in Srinagar early this week, where detailed discussion about the desirability or otherwise of continuing in the coalition was discussed, has further stated that despite some irritants between the two main coalition partners and notwithstanding the fact that PDP activists are feeling inconvenient in the present situation, where they have the feeling that their concerns are not being address to by the Chief Minister, any parting of company by the PDP and the Congress will harm the prospects of both the parties and it will be Nation Conference as well as BJP in Jammu which will be the gainers. Baig also disclosed that in the past he had been acting as mediator between Azad on the one hand and Mufti Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti on the other hand in ironing out the differences and removing some misunderstandings. He also claimed to have arranged a meeting attended by Congress President and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minster Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mufti Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti in New Delhi, so that the points of difference could be resolved. But regretted that no positive outcome appears to have been achieved on the ground level.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is keeping his cards close to his chest for the time being and is weighing the plus and negative fallout of any action to be taken by the party. In the meanwhile he has been building pressure on the Chief Minister as well as on the central leadership of the Congress party and the union government, through a section of friendly media and political circles in the country for accommodating his view points and his concerns. The general assessment is that Mufti will not pullout of the coalition at this stage, but will continue building pressure, to seek some concessions and face saving for the party, while he will be waiting for the appropriate time and opportunity to pullout of the coalition and part company with the Congress. Having carried his campaign to the highest pitch, any alliance between the Congress and the PDP in the next elections will be only a miracle, which are not unthinkable in Indian democracy. |
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