Governor asks PDP, BJP to clarify stand on government formation

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Seeking to put an end to uncertainty, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N. N. Vohra has asked PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and state BJP chief Sat Pal Sharma to clarify their stand on the government formation on Tuesday.

Vohra has called Mehbooba and Sharma for separate meetings on Tuesday to discuss the issue of government formation in the state which is under Governor’s Rule since January 8, a day after then chief minister Mufti Sayeed passed away.

“Yes, the Governor has called her (Mehbooba Mufti) for a meeting tomorrow,” PDP spokesman Naeem Akhter said on Monday.

According to sources, the Governor sent a communication by fax to the PDP Chief last evening for holding consultations. Mehbooba will meet the Governor in the afternoon on Tuesday after which Sharma will meet him.

“Yes, we are going to meet the Governor tomorrow in the evening,” Sharma said.

The Governor’s missive to the leaders of the two parties, which had run a coalition government for 10 months till January 7, came after the PDP chief talked tough with regard to continuance of alliance with BJP on Sunday.

Reassessing

Mehbooba, who is seen as a successor to her father as chief minister, had said she will take a call after “reassessing” whether ally BJP’s government at the Centre would take substantive steps in a “set timeframe” to address the “core” political and economic issues of the state.

In the wake of these developments, the state BJP’s core group met in Jammu and said it will hold consultations with central leadership on government formation before meeting the Governor.

After the meeting, which discussed Mehbooba’s statement, BJP leaders said there was “no concrete” demand or condition from PDP but their party was committed to the implementa- tion of “Agenda of Alliance” and address any issues that the ally may have.

“Today, we have decided in the core group meeting that our 2-3 members will go to Delhi and discuss the issues with the central leadership,” state BJP President Sat Sharma said.

“We will meet him (Governor) and today’s meeting was regarding our stand on the issue of the formation of government,” he told reporters.

He said if any issue is raised by PDP, it can be resolved. “In the past ten months, the development which has taken place was not seen in the past 60 years. Agenda of Alliance is the vision of Narendra Modi and Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to take Indian-administered-Kashmir forward. If you think the development was slow, then we will make sure that it is speeded up,” he said.

Asked if BJP was ready for fresh polls, Sharma said “it would be premature to speak about the issue”.