PDP, BJP brass may soon meet for govt formation
Suspense over the government formation in J&K may soon be over as the Peoples Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party are likely to make contact at the highest level to break the impasse.
Sources in the PDP said channels of communication between the two parties were already open and they expected a decision on government formation soon.
“With the eight-day mourning period over, there is all possibility that a contact at the highest level will be made in the coming days,” said a senior PDP leader and former minister in the J&K Government. “The formal and informal contacts are already there and the results on government formation are expected shortly.”
On Thursday, the Central Government had tried to reach out to Mehbooba Mufti by sending Finance Secretary RP Watal and the architect of Rs 80,000-crore development package, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Srinagar on November 7 last year, to her residence in Srinagar.
The senior official assured Mehbooba that the release of funds under the package was being expedited by the Union Government.
Since the death of her father, Mehbooba Mufti has made only two brief public appearances and the latest being today, when she attended the congregational Fateha-Khwani (special prayers at the grave) of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at Bijbehara in Anantnag. After the death of Mufti, the PDP had announced that it would “review the progress of the Agenda of Alliance”.
Another senior PDP leader, who has been part of the several informal meetings that have taken place at Mehbooba’s residence here since Sunday, said the party had not toughened its stand on government formation with its alliance partner BJP, but it was only seeking deadlines on the promises made in the “Agenda of Alliance” that was agreed upon by the two parties for running the government.
PDP sources said that Member of Parliament and senior leader Muzaffar Beig, who was earlier unhappy with the PDP-BJP functioning, is now keenly participating in all informal meetings on government formation.
