BJP reaffirms support to J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti

After last week’s one-on-one meeting between Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, and BJP’s national general secretary, Ram Madhav, it all seems to be “quiet, easy, smooth and suave” for her on the BJP front as the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) partner in the government has acknowledged her concerns and agreed to stick to a “coalition dharma”.

She also seized the opportunity that the meeting held here presented to convey to the BJP leadership that any attempt to rake up contentious and sensitive issues in the public domain, particularly — those with the potential to disturb the political psyche of the state’s majority community at this stage — would only make her task more difficult. Sources in the PDP said that Ms Mufti had been reassured that the BJP was interested in the smooth and successful running of the coalition government and would ask its cadres to exercise restraint and not issue any statements at the individual level that may create problems for the chief minister and the government.

While the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister is reported to be satisfied with the assurances from her partner in the government, it is squabbling within her own party, the PDP, which is a source of disturbance to her. Sources in the PDP said that Ms Mufti was trying hard to cope with the situation intrepidly and making a conscientious effort to ensure that the internal strife did not take a serious turn for her or the party. It all began with Ms Mufti showing reluctance to form a new government with the saffron party following the death of her father and then chief minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, on January 7 this year, asking publicly early on itself for J&K-specific confidence-building-measures (CBMs) in the belief that these may create a congenial atmosphere whereby she could find it easier to step into her father’s shoes. The nearly three-month-long stalemate, however, resulted in a serious form of internal dissent, led by a PDP mogul, Syed Altaf Bukhari, who had allegedly made a furtive effort to form a government with the BJP when talks between Ms. Mufti and the saffron party’s leadership in Delhi had broken down in March this year.

It was for this reason that Mr Bukhari, who had served as an influential Cabinet rank minister in the previous PDP-BJP government, was dropped unceremoniously when Ms. Mufti was sworn in as the 13th chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir along with 22 ministers on April 4. Mr Bukhari had, however, denied that he was leading any pressure or dissident group within the PDP and insisted that he did not keep his ties with the BJP any secret as his main objective was to avoid thrusting another election upon the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “One year has passed since the polls were held in 2014. I didn’t want people to undergo further hardships. If anyone says I was leading the pressure group, I would say in return that my basic objective was to make Mehbooba Mufti thestate’s chief minister,” he had said. But the party sources said that as many as 18 PDP MLAs were ready to go with M. Bukhari, or had, at least, endorsed his view on Ms Mufti’s earlier disinclination. Ms.

Mufti pre-empted the situation from taking an ugly turn for her by deciding to form a government with the BJP. Nonetheless, the failed rebellion created some bad blood in the party and Ms Mufti felt almost betrayed by some of those she had trusted the most. The man who played the whistleblower and, in fact, openly accused Mr Bukhari of trying to ditch his leader is another senior party leader and Lok Sabha member from Srinagar, Tariq Hameed Karra.

Ahead of Ms Mufti’s swearing in, Mr Karra had had a one-on-one meeting with her during which he told her to drop three ministers, including Mr Bukhari, ‘who played a dubious role and are responsible for the failure of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’.

The bickering between Mr. Bukhari and Mr. Karra has continued giving some anxious moments to the PDP president. Also, some other senior party functionaries, including ministers, are not friendly with one another and this is reflected in some of their public utterances. Also, they are using select local newspapers to run one another down, or, at least, belittle their antagonists’ attainments. Even crucial official information is occasionally leaked through a section of the media to build pressure on the Chief Minister or cast her in a poor light. The opposition and some bureaucrats are also playing a role in this ‘war of nerves’. While Mr. Bukhari is trying hard to stage a ‘grand’ comeback, Mr. Karra and some others are reported to be dead against assigning him any responsibility in the government. “This is a kind of bizarre situation which is causing worry to the party leader,” sources said. However, PDP chief spokesman Dr. Mehboob Beg strongly denied reports of internal bickering in the party. “There is nothing like this in our party,” he said. Asked about Mr. Karra being pitted against Mr. Bukhari and having publicly spoken against him, he said, “I think he (Mr. Karra) alone will be in a position to talk on this. If you ask me there are no such issues in the party.”