Party to be reorganized after Eid
PDP to approach disgruntled leaders
Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, May 28: The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today observed that it was not only the party’s alliance with the BJP but also the non-implementation of ‘Agenda of Alliance’ (AoA), which created problems for it leading to its rout in just concluded Lok Sabha elections.
However, the PAC which met under the chairpersonship of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, affirmed that it will bounce back by vigorously pursuing its pro-people agenda and reorganizing the party after Eid celebrations and approaching all party leaders, who had resigned earlier, to return to the party fold.
In a major boost for the PDP, veteran party leaders, Muzaffar Hussain Beig and Dillawar Mir, both former Ministers, who had been staying away from the party affairs for quite some time, attended today’s PAC meeting held in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State.
Attended by several prominent party leaders, the PDP PAC tried to dispel the impression that its alliance with the BJP was singularly responsible for party’s debacle in Lok Sabha elections in which it drew blank in all three seats of Kashmir, which it contested, while Mehbooba Mufti herself trailed at third place in South Kashmir’s Anantnag Parliamentary constituency, considered as the party’s bastion.
Some of the PAC members were of the view that only problem the PDP faced was non-implementation of the ‘Agenda of Alliance’, which it had reached with the BJP at the time of formation of the Government. The AoA included return of power projects to the State, which had become bone of contention between BJP and PDP with both parties taking divergent stands.
“Had the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ been implemented, the situation could have been different,” some of the party leaders observed.
In another decision of great significance, the PDP PAC decided to reorganize the party after the Eid celebrations in first week of June to brace up for the Legislative Assembly elections as and when they are held.
“With a view to reorganize and strengthen the party, the PAC leaders decided to approach all the party leaders, who had resigned during past some time especially after the BJP withdrew support to the PDP Government on June 19, 2018. The PDP will launch mass contact programme with workers after the Eid festival,” sources said.
Expressing full faith in the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti, the PAC leaders decided to strengthen the party and opined that the PDP now has more responsibility than before in view of current political situation.
“The way the mainstream politics has suffered a setback in view of shrinking political space coupled with growing disbelief of people on democratic setup, the PDP will have to stay strong and united,” the PAC leaders asserted.
Some of the former Ministers, who are the PAC members, were of the view that agenda of the party may get strength in view of decisive mandate. The PAC decided that senior leaders of the PDP will now share more responsibility.
This was the PDP’s first meeting post-Lok Sabha results in which the party couldn’t open its account though it had won all three seats of Kashmir in 2014 general elections. The PDP had fielded candidates only in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats, all three falling in the Valley while extending support to Congress on Jammu and Udhampur Parliamentary constituencies and an Independent on Ladakh seat.
This time NC won all three seats of Kashmir while remaining three i.e. two from Jammu region and one from Ladakh were retained by the BJP.
The PDP leaders, who attended the PAC were former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, Muzaffar Hussain Beig, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Dillawar Mir, Abdul Haq Khan, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Dr Mehboob Beg, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Sartaj Madni, Naeem Akhter, Peerzada Mansoor Hussain, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Nizam-ud-Din Khatana, Firdous Tak, Choudhary Hameed, Ved Mahajan and Tarlok Singh Bajwa among others.
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