Farooq’s statement comes a day before Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is holding its first core group meeting since the demise of chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Meanwhile, sources in the BJP said there was unanimity over Ms. Mufti taking over as the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under Governor’s rule since January 8.
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The BJP leadership said the initiative has to be taken by the PDP to call for the support to form the next government.
Even as PDP spokesman Mehboob Beg without specifying ant timeframe said that the PBP-BJP tie-up will be revived after Mehbooba returns to proper frame of mind, another senior leader and former Education Minister Naeem Akhtar hinted that re-entering into alliance would be subject to review of the alliance under late Mufti.
The mourning Mehbooba kept herself confined to her residence at Gupkar. “The government formation would be on top of the agenda at the meeting”, he added.
National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah expressed his willingness to form government in Jammu & Kashmir with the BJP. Intriguingly, the NC had offered unconditional support to PDP last March in order to keep the BJP out of power by dubbing it a fascist and communal outfit.
Like Baig, another PDP founding member, Tariq Hamid Karra, an MP from Srinagar constituency, who was also considered to be a party rebel for voicing his opinion against stitching of BJP-PDP coalition, has re-emerged and is asserting his presence in the party.
“The National Conference will call its working committee meeting and place such proposal before it for discussion, ” he said, adding “our doors are open”.
“We have been invited for the meeting on Sunday afternoon”, said a senior leader of the party.
“It is not that we have shut our doors, ” Farooq told media persons at Katra when asked about NC’s response to any such proposal for government formational coming from BJP. There is possibility that she might reconsider few decisions and remove ill-will in the party, the sources said.
He said PDP and BJP should form the government at the earliest to end the political uncertainty in the state.
Knowing well that by aligning with BJP the NC can not muster the magic figure of 44, senior Abdullah is actually trying to offer a honey trap to PDP so that by forming the government with BJP, the most hated political outfit in the Valley, PDP is further destroyed and annihilated from political landscape of Kashmir.
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In the 87-member Assembly, BJP has 25 MLAs while NC has 14 legislators.
