BJP ready to give PDP full term CM ‘Both parties feeling public pressure’ New Delhi: The BJP seems to have accepted PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister in return for having its deputy chief minister, probably Billawar MLA Nirmal Singh, for a full six years, a report in the Daily Telegraph has said. Sarkar to banana hi hai, chahe woh (PDP) hamari demand sweekar kare ya naa kare (We have to form a government regardless of whether the PDP accepts our demand), a Jammu and Kashmir BJP official said. Sources say that back channel talks between the two parties are on but formal negotiations are yet to begun. Both the parties sources say are aware that if they fail to form the Government by any formation, their voters are likely to punish them heavily. The BJP believes that if it fails to form the Government it may not even come near the current tally if snap polls are held. The PDP too believes that the valley has given them the mandate to form the Government and in case they fail to do so they would be seen as running away despite Congress support being available to them. The state BJP leaders still want the top post to go to their party because they have interpreted the mandate as a pro-Jammu one. Jammu has not had a chief minister so far and the BJP, which picked up 25 seats in this region, is convinced this is the most opportune time to install a non-Valley chief minister. The PDP is not giving in. Among other elements of the proposed formula is one suggesting the PDP would get six ministers and the BJP five. The PDP would be told not to resurrect its demands to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the Valley the party has consistently spoken out against the inhuman law - and to revive talks with Pakistan. Its not as though the BJP is dead set against having talks with Pakistan but it cannot be under the barrel of a gun, a Jammu and Kashmir source said. In turn, the BJP is expected to assure the PDP that it would not allow its state leaders and cadre to raise their pet theme of abrogation of Article 370 and other contentious issues. Sources said the prospective common minimum programme was expected to focus on governance, development and creating an investor-friendly ambience. The BJPs formula was thrashed out yesterday after party president Amit Shah met a core group from Jammu and Kashmir. Shah and the others concluded that the negotiations should end quickly because the BJP was keen to swear in a government by February 14. Nirmal Singh, tipped to become deputy chief minister, moved to the BJP after initial stints in the RSS and its student front, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, of which he was a state general secretary. Sources said he was part of the Track Two engagement that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had initiated with Pakistan. On record, Ram Madhav, the BJP general secretary minding Jammu and Kashmir, maintained that no structured talks had yet been held with the PDP. But other sources said the dialogue was nearing a conclusion.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 09:28:15 +0000