With the Peoples Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on different pages on the issue of government formation, a longer spell of Governor’s rule appears imminent in Jammu and Kashmir.
Several decisions, like preparation of the budget, postings and field work, need to be taken to keep the administrative machinery moving in the state. Governor’s rule, in all likelihood, would remain in force till the parties revive the coalition government that ceased to exist after the death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed a month back.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti made it clear in her 45-minute meeting with Governor NN Vohra that “nothing short of concrete confidence building measures from Delhi” would enable her to take the responsibility.
The BJP delegation of former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, state chief Sat Sharma and Jugal Sharma, MP, however, sought 10 days’ time to draw a roadmap that would lead their party toward government formation. Since the PDP delegation of Mehbooba and MP Muzzaffar Beig did not set any time-frame, the obvious conclusion was that the government formation exercise will take longer than 10 days. The state had come under Governor’s rule on January 8 after the death of Mufti Sayeed a day earlier.
While putting the ball in the Centre’s court, Mehbooba said she did not want an atmosphere in which her father was forced to operate despite having undertaken the grave political risk to his career by aligning with BJP.
What she meant was that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to walk the extra mile to assuage the “hurt” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The CBMs can be decoded as the return of two power projects, recognition of the special status of the state, no unsettling issues like the removal of Article 35-A, ban on beef eating and tampering with the respect accorded to the state’s flag.
Several decisions, like preparation of the budget, postings and field work, need to be taken to keep the administrative machinery moving in the state. Governor’s rule, in all likelihood, would remain in force till the parties revive the coalition government that ceased to exist after the death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed a month back.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti made it clear in her 45-minute meeting with Governor NN Vohra that “nothing short of concrete confidence building measures from Delhi” would enable her to take the responsibility.
The BJP delegation of former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, state chief Sat Sharma and Jugal Sharma, MP, however, sought 10 days’ time to draw a roadmap that would lead their party toward government formation. Since the PDP delegation of Mehbooba and MP Muzzaffar Beig did not set any time-frame, the obvious conclusion was that the government formation exercise will take longer than 10 days. The state had come under Governor’s rule on January 8 after the death of Mufti Sayeed a day earlier.
While putting the ball in the Centre’s court, Mehbooba said she did not want an atmosphere in which her father was forced to operate despite having undertaken the grave political risk to his career by aligning with BJP.
What she meant was that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to walk the extra mile to assuage the “hurt” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The CBMs can be decoded as the return of two power projects, recognition of the special status of the state, no unsettling issues like the removal of Article 35-A, ban on beef eating and tampering with the respect accorded to the state’s flag.
