PDP weighs alliance options for power

Srinagar: With the four-day mourning over the demise of its patron and chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed coming to an end, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) leadership has begun serious discussions internally on the formation of a new government in Jammu and Kashmir.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti held a meeting with its legislators and other senior party functionaries at her official residence ‘Fairview’ at Gupkar here on Sunday evening. The meeting was expected to discuss threadbare the options available to the party in the backdrop of informal talks its leadership has had with counterparts from alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following the death of the chief minister before taking a final call on forming the new government, the party sources said.

However, nothing of the sort happened at the meeting. Party sources said that Ms. Mufti while speaking on the occasion sought forgiveness on behalf of her late father. “If any one of you was ever hurt by Mufti Sahib, I apologize and seek forgiveness”, she said. This changed the whole atmosphere and many participants started crying. The party president too broke down, the sources said adding that those who spoke on the occasion restricted their talk to paying glowing tributes to their party patron.

After dinner, Ms. Mufti closeted with her senior party leaders to discuss the situation arising out of the death of Mr. Sayeed. She has decided to continue the deliberations with her party colleagues including lawmakers and is scheduled to meet them in small groups from Monday morning, the sources said.   

The sources said that some of the party functionaries and legislators hold the view that the PDP should revisit certain issues and decisions taken under the leadership of its patriarch Mufti Muhammad Sayeed who successfully yet arduously led the PDP-BJP coalition government in the State for ten long months before falling seriously ill last month. This includes forming coalition government with ideologically divergent BJP which, some party leaders believe, only eroded the PDP’s base in Kashmir Valley.

The visit of Congress president Sonia Gandhi to Srinagar on Sunday to personally condole the death of Mr. Sayeed with his family and earlier senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s accompanying the chief minister’s mortal remains to Srinagar from Delhi and then visiting his grave in home town Bijbehara led to speculations about a possible tie- up between the two parties. However, the Congress insisted there was no politics into it. Congress was part of coalition with PDP which ruled the state from 2002 to 2008 before the later withdrew support to former amid Amarnath land row, leading to premature fall of the Azad-led government in the State.

Kashmir watchers and constitutional experts, however, rule out such possibility as in the number game the two will still be short of a couple of MLAs even if the four independents throw their lot behind them to stake claim to the government formation.

Yet if the reports suggesting that BJP is claiming the lion’s share in the allotment of portfolios in new government are true, the PDP president may only find herself in difficult situation forcing her to look for alternatives. In the event of such urgency, the National Conference (NC) would be seen only as a crucial player in the whole process.

The PDP sources said the Congress president was accompanied by Mr. Azad, senior party leaders, Ambika Soni and Saifuddin Soz and J&K PCC chief G. A. Mir. Ms. Gandhi termed the death of Mr. Sayeed a ‘huge loss’ for the country.  She also met the other family members including Ms. Mufti’s mother Gulshan Nazir Ara to express solidarity in their hour of grief.

Meanwhile, Union transport minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gandkari also visited Ms. Mufti at her Srinagar residence on Sunday afternoon. He is reported to have apart from condoling her on her father’s demise discussed the issues relating to government formation. PDP sources said Mr. Gadkari was accompanied by BJP state president, Sat Sharma, and senior leaders former deputy chief minister Dr. Nirmal Singh and Sukhnandan Kumar.  “Mr. Gadkari said the entire country stood in solidarity with the bereaved family in sharing grief on the demise of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,” a party spokesman said.

Earlier on Sunday fateha prayers were offered at Mr. Sayeed’s grave at Dara Shikoh Bagh in Bijbehara. Thousands of mourners turned up to pay homage to the departed leader who died in Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Thursday, leaving a strenuous legacy, which requires great wisdom and tremendous will power to inherit by his daughter. A condolence meeting was held also at the chief minister’s official residence in Srinagar.