Mehbooba hints at alliance with BJP

Muzammil Rashid, Srinagar/New Delhi.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday hinted at an alliance with the BJP when she invoked the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and said the 2014 election mandate was both a challenge and an opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been talking about development.

“We want the agenda of development and peace to be carried forward. We want Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peace process to be carried to its logical conclusion,” Ms. Mufti told presspersons after meeting Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra. Then, in an apparent feeler to the BJP, Ms. Mufti said it was time for the national leadership, especially Mr. Modi, to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“PDP’s priority is not to cobble up a majority for the sake of government formation,” party leader Mehbooba Mufti said in Jammu after meeting Governor N.N. Vohra on Wednesday.

To her comments, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said: “An initial contact has been established between the two parties,” and her comments would help take forward formal discussions.

‘Take forward Vajpayee process’

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday recalled that for peace in the State, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had “started a political process.”

“Vajpayeeji agreed to a ceasefire with Pakistan. He had started unconditional dialogue with the Hurriyat. He had started a dialogue with Pakistan when L.K. Advani was the Deputy Prime Minister. We got a generous economic package. The UPA continued it for some time and then stopped it.”

Ms. Mufti, however, said the PDP did not want to merely cobble up numbers to form the government. “If forming the government and assuming power had been the only objective of the PDP, we would have done it within a matter of hours,” she said. “Our concern is to constitute a stable and effective government that is able to meet the serious challenges faced by the State.”

She said whichever alliance comes to power in the State should respect the mandate of the people. Alluding to the split between the Jammu and Kashmir regions during the elections, she said the government should be formed on the principle of ‘reconciliation.’ ..Till that [people’s mandate and the principle of reconciliation] is not taken along, forming any government will be useless,” she said.

The PDP won 28 seats in the Assembly elections, all from the Kashmir Valley, while the BJP won 25 from the Jammu area. The PDP, as the single largest party, could form the government with both the Congress and the National Conference, but it argued that in such a scenario, the government would have no representation from the Jammu region.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Saif-ud-Din Soz also met Mr. Vohra on Wednesday. BJP State president Jugal Kishore will meet the Governor on Thursday. A government has to be formed by January 19, failing which the Governor’s rule will be imposed in the State.