Party workers will tell you that that had the PDP not been in government with the BJP, the number of mourners who came out at Mufti’s funeral would have been much higher. He was beyond party affiliations.
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Gandhi was accompanied by party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, a former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and now a parliamentarian, and Ambika Soni. “We have come here only for condoling and there is no other motive”. “Sonia Gandhi’s visit was just to offer prayer and condolence”.
The visit of senior Congress leaders including AICC president Sonia Gandhi to Mehbooba’s residence yesterday had fuelled speculation that moves might be afoot for weaning the PDP away from BJP to form an alternative government. Gadkari said he had come to offer condolences on behalf of the central government and bereavement was not the time to discuss politics. If there had been dissension both within the PDP as well as among the party’s backers at the decision taken previous year, the behaviour of the Centre and the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) State units in this period has only validated the doubts they had. “She will visit Gupkar Road residence of the late chief minister in the afternoon”, a Congress party functionary said.
Congress earlier shared power with PDP before having a bitter split in 2008. Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh had also rubbished rumours of PDP setting tough conditions for the BJP if they want to continue the alliance in the state. PDP has already given a letter to Governor N N Vohra, saying all its 27 MLAs support Mehbooba for the Chief Ministership. “Once the official mourning period (seven days) is over, I think the (coalition) government will carry on under the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti”, PDP’s chief spokesperson Mehboob Beg told reporters. The BJP is hoping that government formation talks would begin soon.
Governor, N.N. Vohra who imposed governor’s rule in the state on January 9 with retrospective effect, on Sunday called a meeting of top bureaucrats and administrative secretaries in winter capital Jammu.
Asked if the BJP had thought up a Plan B in case the PDP continued to play hardball, a source replied: “There’s the National Conference with the Independents”. He said the BJP has not respected the “Agenda of Alliance” and stoked controversial issues. “Till now we all were in mourning”.
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Mehbooba, Lok Sabha member from Anantnag, said her father always used to refer to the state administration as one of the best administrations in the country. “PDP has lost its support by tying up with a communal party”, Karra said.
