Srinagar
President Peoples Democratic Party and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that her party risked everything in an attempt to achieve larger goals beyond power and protocols.
“We took the decision to form a government with Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) despite the political risks involved. The purpose was clear and our agenda was public. We did not form the government for the sake of it. We had very good experience of working with the same party then headed by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and wanted the state out of uncertainty and commotion”, the spokesman quoted Mehbooba as saying.
The spokesman said that Mufti was addressing largely attested public meeting on the eve of party’s 19th foundation day, She said that AB Vajpayee’s assurance of free and fair elections in 2002 was the outcome of his understanding of Kashmir problem.
“When Vajpayee sought a feedback from Mufti Mohammad Syed about the situation in Kashmir prior to elections he was told that Delhi needs to restore the trust of people on democracy. Mufti told them that general perception in Kashmir is that its not the voters but Delhi which decides the fate of political parties in the state”, Mehbooba said.
She said that despite the fact that BJP was in alliance with National Conference the central government not only ensured free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir but Vajpayee personally reached out to the people of Kashmir by taking several measures. “The golden era of Jammu and Kashmir would not have been possible without the understanding Vajpayee ji had. We were able to restore peace with dignity, open borders, hold dialogue internally as well as with neighbouring country, create employment and ensure equitable development because both state and central government were on the same page”, she said.
She said that it was the same objective for which PDP entered into an alliance with BJP after emerging as the largest political party in 2014 assembly elections. “Mufti Mohammad Syed was optimistic and was ready to take all risk in order to bring people out of the bad situation, which has been forced upon the state due to continuous misgovernance. The risk was greater but the objectives were more important”, she said.
