PDP likely to continue alliance with BJP

After 10-day suspense, the PDP on Sunday dropped enough hints that it was ready to continue its alliance with the rightwing BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.

Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and functionaries, including Lok Sabha members and former ministers, who met at Fair View, residence of party president Mehbooba Mufti, authorized her to take a final call over the alliance with the BJP.

“The party deliberated on our score-card during the last 10 months of the PDP-BJP coalition rule and authorized Mehboobaji to take any decision needed to carry forward Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s mission and implementing his political and developmental vision,” Mufti loyalist and senior PDP leader Nayeem Akhtar told reporters after attending nearly five-hour long marathon meeting. Hinting that the PDP will continue its alliance with the BJP, he said, “Agenda of Alliance (signed by PDP and BJP in February 2015) is the holy scripture.” Akhtar said the PDP has not set any conditions for government formation with the BJP, but refused to set any deadline for it.

This was the first political meeting presided over by Mehbooba after the death of her father and chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7 at AIIMS, New Delhi. A spokesman of PDP said the meeting reiterated that the party would work, with fresh resolve, towards accomplishing the vision of late Mufti to create a space of dignity, opportunity and prosperity for the people of Jammu & Kashmir in the paradigm of friendship and cooperative relationship between India and Pakistan.

“The meeting welcomed the new initiative taken by the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) to improve relationships with Pakistan which is an important objective of the Agenda of Alliance and Mufti Sahab’s political legacy,” he said.

The development comes amid the uncertainty over government formation in the state, which is currently under President's Rule since Mufti’s death.

Meanwhile, opposition National Conference (NC) patron Farooq Abdullah while taking a U-turn on his Saturday’s statement on Sunday called for dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and holding of fresh elections if the PDP and the BJP fail to form a government.