Tasavur Mushtaq
SRINAGAR
In a last attempt to re-stitch the alliance with BJP, PDP’s president Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday morning. Ms Mufti along with few senior leaders has been camping in New Delhi since Monday Afternoon.
Although the minutes of the 30-minute long meeting was not immediately known, but while talking to reporters soon after the meeting, Mehbooba expressed her satisfaction over “positive” meeting with PM and said she would be sharing the details after returning to valley.
Mehbooba was flanked by the former finance minister, Dr Haseeb Drabu.
Interestingly, the latest development came after the former allies met a ‘dead end’ last week when reportedly Mehbooba was denied a meeting with Modi and subsequent statement from BJP pointman Ram Madhav of ‘not accepting fresh demands’.
The latest development of reconciliation took place after hectic deliberations from leaders of both sides to clear ‘misunderstandings’.
After Ms Mufti left Modi’s residence, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that ‘ball is in PDP’s court’.
Sources in Srinagar say that Mehbooba was apprised about the ground situation and ‘attempts of his legislators to cross the line.’ There is strong ‘dissent’ in the party over indecisiveness of the leadership taking final call. “We can’t keep people hostage. We have to go back to them. How long we can have this dilemma,” PDP MLA told Kashmir Life, wishing anonymity. He further said that “for me either forming government or not forming government is not issue, issue is the uncertainty.”
If insiders are to be believed, there is ‘consensus on forming government’. There would be assurance of PM Modi coming on the implementation of Agenda of Alliance and possibly few issues would be addressed with set deadline.
But BJP state-unit leaders maintain that “in no way we can do things which will hurt our constituency.” “Yes we are more than willing to implement Agenda of Alliance, but not anything which is detrimental to sentiments of people who have voted for us.”
PDP partly legislators are scheduled to meet on March 24 where it is expected that Mehbooba would be elected as leader of party legislator and this will pave her way to be the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
