BJP to open cards after first move by PDP for Govt formation

Ram Madhav, Avinash Khanna hold meet with state leaders in Jammu

Although the alliance partners have denied differences, the BJP is awaiting a word from the PDP on government formation in the state.
“We are waiting for a response from the PDP in this regard. Let the PDP take an initiative in government formation,” said Avinash Rai Khanna, BJP national vice-president and in charge of J&K affairs, after coming out of a three-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with party leaders.
BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, who was the architect of PDP-BJP government in the state, and Khanna reached Jammu this evening to brief local leaders about the developments going on in government formation.
“As of now, we have not received any communication from the PDP regarding formation of the government,” Khanna said. He hastened to rule out differences between the two parties on formation of the next government led by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.
“Let the PDP open its cards. Let it take the first initiative in government formation,” he said. Ram Madhav and Khanna briefed local party
leaders about their meeting with Mehbooba in Srinagar last week.
The duo reached Jammu at 3.30 pm and straightway went to the official residence of former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh.
Before calling senior leaders for the meeting, they held a closed-door interaction with the core group of the party, in which senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were present. The presence of RSS leaders in the core group meeting was significant as they rarely attended such meetings.
Highly placed sources said after briefing the core group and RSS leaders, Members of Parliament, legislators and other leaders were called to seek their opinion about government formation in the state.
Ram Madhav told party leaders about his meeting with the PDP president in Srinagar on January 8, said a source, adding that the visiting leaders tried to give the impression that the government would be formed with the PDP.
The sources further said some legislators raised the demand of rotational chief ministership and demanded that the remaining tenure of the Assembly should be divided between the two coalition partners.
State BJP president Sat Paul Sharma termed the meeting as routine. “No discussion on government formation was held in the meeting. Visiting leaders briefed state leaders about their meeting with the PDP president,” he said.
Asked whether the BJP would demand rotational chief ministership and important portfolios, he replied, “Discussions on shape and structure of the new dispensation will start only after some progress is made on government formation.”