Even after spending eight long days holding intra-party deliberations behind closed doors and parleys with different political leaders at various levels, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday claimed her party was in no hurry to cobble up a majority for the sake of grabbing power in Jammu & Kashmir.
Emerging out of the much-hyped meeting with Governor NN Vohra in Jammu, Mehbooba told reporters, “It will hardly take 15 minutes to form a Government in the State if the leadership of the country will rise to the occasion and take this mandate head on and address the alienation of the people of J&K”. Invoking the peace process initiated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the PDP chief also reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi that a bigger responsibility lies on his shoulders to respond to the challenge of carrying forward the peace process and all round development of the State.
Speaking to reporters outside Raj Bhawan, Mehbooba Mufti dropped clear hints that her party leadership was keen on joining hands with the BJP but avoided admitting the same on camera.
“Development cannot take place without lasting peace in the State, and for that we have to restart the peace process initiated by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” Mehbooba said in response to a question whether PDP was ready to join hands with the BJP. listing out various confidence building measures taken by the Vajpayee Government at the Centre, Mehbooba said Kashmir has always been the biggest challenge for any Prime Minister from Jawaharlal Nehru till date.
“This time the people of the State have given a decisive and divided mandate and now the opportunity lies with the leadership of the country, both NDA and the Congress, to reach out to the people of J&K”.
Mehbooba said it is not only the PDP’s agenda, it should be the agenda of the whole country to make J&K a model State. “Media reports claim that PDP enjoys the support of 55 legislators but our priority is not to cobble up a majority for the sake of grabbing power. We want the leadership of the country to respect the mandate of the people of the State,” she clarified.
Ever since election results were declared on December 23 different political formations are struggling to cobble up the magic number of 44 in a House of 87 legislators before staking their claim for Government formation in the State. PDP with 28 MlA’s and BJP with 25 members in their kitty are emerging as front runners in the race while both National Conference and Congress have been pushed to the sidelines in the absence of numbers on their side.
The meeting between Mehbooba Mufti and Governor NN Vohra lasted over one hour. Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz also met the Governor shortly after Mehbooba left Raj Bhawan. State BJP chief Jugal Kishore Sharma is scheduled to meet the Governor on Thursday along with the BJP proposal over Government formation in the State. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav who had earlier met the Governor on Tuesday had also claimed that no Government is possible in the State without the BJP’s support.
