BJP concedes on Article 370, BJP-PDP govt by next week

PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to be the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has conceded ground on its demand for abrogation of Article 370 to pave the way for a BJP-People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government in Jammu and Kashmir by next week, nearly two months after Assembly elections threw up a fractured verdict. PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed will be the chief minister.

Sources in the two parties claimed on Saturday an agreement had been reached on some of the contentious issues such as rehabilitation of 25,000 refugees from Pakistan, Article 370 and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and a ‘common minimum programme’ had taken shape.

A section of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, led by its leader Inderesh Kumar, had cautioned the BJP leadership about surrendering on key issues like Article 370. The common minimum programme is yet to be made public, but details available from sources in the PDP suggest the BJP has agreed to maintain the existing constitutional status of Article 370. The common minimum programme is likely to state that the two parties will respect the aspirations of the people of the state within the Constitution of India.

The BJP has for long demanded repeal of Article 370. Its manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections stated: “The BJP reiterates its stand on Article 370, and will discuss this with all stakeholders and remains committed to the abrogation of this article.” However, it had not referred to its demand for its repeal during its election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav, who has negotiated with the PDP, on Saturday told the media that there was no “compromise”. “Both parties are trying sincerely to arrive at an understanding on the common minimum programme of governance. There are a couple of political issues on which traditionally we have held different views. We are trying to find common ground,” Madhav said.

The BJP has also agreed to the PDP’s demand that the AFSPA be revoked, if not from the entire Valley, at least from some areas. A committee will be constituted to study whether the responsibility of maintenance of law and order in certain areas can be handed over to the police.

Sources said Sayeed would be the chief minister for the entire six-year period while BJP’s Nirmal Singh would be the deputy chief minister. Sayeed is slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi early next week, while his daughter and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti will meet senior BJP leaders on Sunday.

The PDP is likely to have the home and finance portfolios in the council of ministers while the BJP will receive tourism, water resources, public health engineering and planning.

National Conference leader and former chief minister of the state Omar Abdullah claimed only an “idiot” would have believed the BJP and PDP were finding it difficult to join hands. “The PDP-BJP tie up was a done deal ages ago, all this was just Sayeed’s grandstanding as a tough guy to undo the damage in the Valley,” Abdullah tweeted.

In a related development, three PDP and two BJP candidates were elected unopposed to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council on Saturday