Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday evening closeted with BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav at her residence here to hold talks on the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr Madhav, one of the architects of the PDP-BJP alliance, arrived here from Delhi in a chartered plane at 5 pm and straightway drove to Fairview — the official residence of Ms. Mufti. After a one-on-one meeting with Ms Mufti, he flew back to the national capital, sources said. Meanwhile, former chief minister and National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah tweeted, “Unscheduled flight VTJSG just landed in Srinagar after normal operation hours. Something is cooking with the PDP-BJP government formation”.
Local media reported that Mr Madhav has informed Ms Mufti that the Centre is ready to consider revocation of contentious Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act initially from the districts of Srinagar in Kashmir Valley and Kathua district in Jammu region on a “trial basis”. It has also agreed to reconsider its “unilaterally trimming” from the PM’s “development package” the equity assured to the state for buying back two power projects from the NHPC that had received clearance from the PMO.
Neither the BJP nor the PDP has commented on these reports, so far.
The BJP leader was scheduled to arrive here on Monday to meet Ms Mufti to take the bilateral agenda forward but he instead went to poll-bound Assam. Sources in the BJP had said that Mr Madhav deferred his Srinagar visit as he was told the PDP leader would be available for a meeting only after Chahlim or the 40th day ceremony of her late father and former CM Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, which was held on Monday itself. Also, Mr Madhav was waiting for the green signal from the BJP high command.
Following the death of Mr. Sayeed, the alliance partners failed to form the new government in the State and Ms. Mufti had, after meeting Governor N.N. Vohra to discuss the issue on February 2, sought to put the onus on BJP saying the situation demands some measures towards confidence building to be taken by the Centre. “The Government of India should initiate Jammu and Kashmir specific measures before the formation of government in the state,” she had said. She had also said that Jammu and Kashmir being different from other states needs a “good atmosphere, space and a fillip” if a new government is to be formed.
Sources in the PDP said that its leader had earlier this week conveyed to the BJP that she was now ready to hold talks with it on various issues she believed are vital towards taking the alliance forward. Since she would be flying to Delhi on Sunday or Monday to attend the Budget session of Parliament, she had desired to meet Mr. Madhav before her departure, the sources said.
On Monday, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, a former deputy chief minister and vice president of the PDP, had said the party has not demanded any Confidence-Building-Measures (CBMs) from its ally BJP as precondition for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“She (Ms. Mufti) has never said anything like CBMs. I don’t know where from the newspapers have carried such news about CBMs,” he said asserting “CBMs “actually take place between two hostile countries. It (PDP-BJP) is one alliance which has not disintegrated here. We are not talking to any enemy that we should demand CBMs.” He also said that the alliance with the BJP is intact and there was no question of making any fresh demands to the coalition partner”
Kashmir watchers saw in Mr. Baig’s statement a clear indication rather confirmation of the PDP and BJP having narrowed down the differences that apparently were coming in the way of their forming the new government in the State.
