This Article is From Feb 03, 2016

Mehbooba Mufti Speaks At Last, Keeps Up Suspense On Jammu And Kashmir

Mehbooba Mufti had earlier indicated that she was not averse to fresh elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu: The BJP has asked Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra for "more time, 8-10 days" to work out government formation in the state with the People's Democratic Party or PDP, its partner for the last 10 months.

  1. Governor Vohra met both the parties on Tuesday evening to know if they would tie up to form government again in the state, under President's Rule since chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed died last month.

  2. Mehbooba Mufti, PDP chief and Mufti Sayeed's daughter, said after meeting with the governor that the Centre needs to take "new confidence-building measures for Jammu and Kashmir" for her to renew her party's partnership with the BJP.

  3. "It's not about the BJP and PDP.... we need measures to give the new government a fillip," Ms Mufti said in her first public statement since her father died. She has refused to take oath so far as chief minister.

  4. Ms Mufti said today that she feared she did not enjoy the goodwill that her father did to be able to get people to accept what is seen by many as  an "unpopular decision" to partner with the BJP, an ideological opposite.

  5. Ahead of the meeting with the governor, the BJP reached out to Mehbooba Mufti today, with top state leader Nirmal Singh visiting her at the state guest house in winter capital, Jammu.

  6. "We have asked the governor for more time, 8-10 days. We have no demands. The agenda for alliance has to implemented," said Nirmal Singh said after meeting the governor, in a reference to the governance agenda that the parties agreed to when they tied up.

  7. Ms Mufti has questioned the BJP's commitment to honouring the "agenda of alliance" and reportedly wants written assurances on some contentious issues on which and has said the PDP and the BJP have traditionally held opposing views.

  8. The BJP says it does not need to give any assurances. It has indicated that it considers the controversial issues "settled" when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed scripted the alliance based on a common agenda of governance.

  9.  BJP leaders have held multiple meetings in the last two days. Nirmal Singh and other state BJP leaders flew to Delhi yesterday to meet party chief Amit Shah.

  10. The two parties, ideological opposites, came together at the end of long negotiations 10 months ago after elections in the state gave no party a clear majority. The PDP has 27 seats in the 87-member assembly; the BJP is second with 25.



Post a comment
.