 "Kashmir: A new beginning?")
As the deadlock over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir continued, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said it was fully committed to the agenda of governance in the state, while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti is likely to make a second trip in five days to Delhi today.
Mufti is also likely to call a meeting of senior party leaders in the coming days to clear the ‘misgivings’ about the stalemate over government formation.
Though the issue of government formation in J&K did not come up for discussion at BJP’s national executive meet which concluded in Delhi on Sunday, senior party leader and Union Minister Arun Jaitley said the political resolution emphasised commitment to the ‘agenda of governance’ in the state.
“We stand fully committed as far as agenda of governance is concerned,” Jaitley told reporters on the issue of government formation in J&K.
In Srinagar, PDP sources said Mehbooba is likely to go to Delhi today.
The sources also said the PDP president is likely to hold a meeting with senior party leaders in the next few days to inform them about the last week's developments on government formation.
The sources said the date of the meeting has not been finalised yet as several senior party leaders are stuck in Jammu "due to closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway".
The PDP and the BJP failed to end the deadlock as the meeting between their respective party presidents -- Mehbooba and Amit Shah on Thursday --could not make any headway.
BJP MLA Ravinder Raina said the party will "never" accept new conditions for alliance put forth by Mehbooba Mufti.
"Several PDP legislators who are in favor of the formation of the government in the state and who also don't want midterm polls in the state are in touch with the BJP leadership for the formation of the government," Raina told reporters in Jammu.
While BJP said it could not form the government based on fresh conditions put forth by the PDP, the regional party maintained that there were no new demands made by it but it only wanted assurances on a timeframe for implementation of the "Agenda of Alliance" agreed between the two parties last year.
"The BJP is trying to give an impression that the PDP is making some new demands for the government formation which is not true. We only want implementation of the agenda of alliance.These misgvings have to be cleared," PDP sources said.
The sources said the issues flagged by the PDP president during her meeting with BJP top leaders are part of the agenda of alliance which was finalised by PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the national party.
"The PDP president has made it clear time and again that she will stand by her father's decision of forming an alliance with the BJP as he was convinced that it is in the interests of the people of the state. All that Mehbooba wants to ensure is that the promises made to her father in terms of political initiatives and economic progress of the state see the light of the day," they said.
