“There was stalemate in last couple of days…have called a legislative party meeting on Thursday”, said Mehbooba, adding, “We will discuss how to go forward”.
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She had met BJP president Amit Shah last week, but returned to Jammu and Kashmir without a breakthrough and with top leaders of her party saying there was little hope now of bridging a yawning gap between the two parties. Sources added that former Finance Minister and PDP leader Dr Haseeb Drabu also left for New Delhi on Monday afternoon.
Talking to reporters after her meeting, Mehbooba said, “The meeting with Prime Minister Modi was very positive”. This may have forced Mufti to soften her stance.
The rightwing party will hold “final round of negotiations” with the PDP after the later holds the legislature party meeting. BJP sources, however, claimed the alliance government in the state could be in place by next week. Later she was invited by the Prime Minister for a one-on-one meeting as an affirmation of mutual understanding, seemingly ending the deadlock over government formation.
“I am content after meeting the prime minister”.
Tarigami said that PDP had delayed the government formation reportedly for CBMs and implementation of their “Agenda of Alliance” in “timeframe” from BJP.
She has called a legislature party meeting on March 24.
He said that BJP also created a drama with their statements that no fresh conditions would be accepted from PDP but ultimately they will be forming the government with PDP along with additional conditions.
But Mehbooba miscalculated one thing – the BJP wouldn’t lose much if it isn’t part of the government in the state, but she and her party had everything to lose. However, these meetings were not “positive” enough to break the logjam. “She rushed to Delhi in a last-ditch effort to save her party”, he said on Monday. She was in Delhi over the weekend with plans to meet the PM, but that did not materialize.
Meanwhile, the PDP president feels that the BJP hasn’t done enough to fulfil the agenda of governance.
Legislator and CPI(M) state secretary MY Tarigami said that even as alliance between the PDP and the BJP was intact all the time, yet its continuance does not provide anything new to celebrate about.
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He asked the PDP president to explain what stopped her from going to fresh polls or having an alliance with secular forces, when everybody begged her for the same? “But PDP apparently has other issues in mind”, said Madhav.
