NEW DELHI: Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Race Course Road residence for about 30 minutes on Tuesday morning, in what is seen as a last ditch effort to renew a partnership between her People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP to form government in Jammu and Kashmir.
She described it as a “positive meeting” but made no announcements, saying she would take “next steps” after meeting her party lawmakers in Srinagar.
The BJP’s stand was made clear by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who reiterated on Monday, “We are committed to our agenda of governance, and then added, “Mehbooba Mufti has to make up her mind.”
Ms Mufti was back in the capital just 48 hours after she had cancelled a meeting with the Prime Minister, after her meeting with BJP president Amit Shah yielded no breakthrough in a stand-off between the PDP and BJP.
Since her father and chief minister Mufti Mohammad Saeed died in early January this year, Mehbooba Mufti has refused to take oath as chief minister till several demands made by the PDP are met by the Centre, where the BJP is in power.
The BJP says that the PDP’s demands as a condition for government formation are not acceptable.
Jammu and Kashmir meanwhile has no government and is under President’s Rule.
Ms Mufti’s challenge is not just to repair relations with the BJP. The bigger challenge lies within the PDP, where sources say, key leaders are getting impatient. PDP lawmakers officially deny that a revolt is brewing but the signs are there.
“Everybody wants government formation. We want government formation. We have been given a mandate and there should be a government,” said Mohammad Ashraf Mir, who was a minister in the Mufti Saeed government.
Mehbooba’s political rival Omar Abdullah of the National Conference met Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra on Monday and urged him to call fresh elections.
Ideological opposites BJP and PDP had joined hands last year after no party got a majority in state elections. The PDP is the largest party with 28 seats – now 27 following Mr Sayeed’s death – in the 87-member house. The BJP is second with 25 seats. The National Conference has 14, the Congress 12. (Agencies)
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