PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday told her party’s core group that she was not averse to forming the government in Jammu and Kashmir but this can not happen unless she has assurances from the ally BJP that her late father’s vision would be fulfilled.
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“She told them she was not averse to government formation, but she won’t burn her fingers for nothing”.
“There needs to be an environment to create a government here in Jammu and Kashmir”, Mufti told reporters.
BJP asked the Governor for 10 days’ time to “resolve whatever is outstanding” with PDP. Refusing to specify the CBMs, she referred to “Agenda of the Alliance”, the common-minimum programme reached between the two parties for government formation a year ago, saying it had been firmed up at the highest level by the two sides.
Meanwhile, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today said if PDP is not ready to form the government, fresh elections should be held. Requested about Mr. Khanna’s declaration the PDP must first choose its legislature party chief to exhibit its cards, Mr. Akhtar claimed, “That is their position”.
The chief minister’s seat has been lying vacant for the last three weeks since the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7.
Mehbooba had yesterday said the party will take a call on government formation as and when it was confident that the vision and mission of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will be carried forward. “We need measures to ensure that the new government springs to action”. Initially, the reluctance was attributed to Mehbooba being grief-stricken at her father and political mentor’s demise, but on January 31 she clarified that there were issues plaguing the functioning of the alliance that ruled the State for 10 months under the Mufti.
“Mufti sahab used to say he didn’t join hands with Modiji, he joined hands with the people who elected Modiji”, she said.
The legislative party meeting held at Mufti’s Fair View residence ended without electing the legislative party leader, conveying to the BJP that the PDP is not in a hurry to form the government.
That left Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra with little option but to ask both parties to make their stand clear on government formation. It is quite unhappy over Centre’s “unilaterally trimming” from Prime Minister’s “development package” the equity assured to the state for buying back two power projects from the NHPC that had received clearance from PMO.
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On when the government would be formed, he said “At present, I can not give a time frame. PDP won’t sort government only for the benefit of energy but, if it will, it’ll be, as imagined by Mufti Sahib, using the goal of handling the primary governmental and financial problems facing T&E as was completed from the PDP-directed authorities between 2002 and 2005”, she said.
