PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed will head a 25-member cabinet, half of it from BJP, in Jammu and Kashmir and the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday in Jammu will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With the PDP-BJP deal sealed after ironing out differences over contentions issues like Article 370 and AFSPA, 79-year- old Sayeed, who will be sworn in as Chief Minister, met the Prime Minister today, capping two-month long hard negotiations between the two parties on government formation.
According to highly-placed sources, Sayeed will be heading a 25-member cabinet which will have 12 BJP MLAs including a Deputy Chief Minister post. This is the first time that BJP is in the government in the state.
Accompanied by chief interlocutor of PDP Haseeb Drabu, Sayeed had a nearly one-hour long meeting with Modi during which he extended invitation to the PM for attending the swearing-in ceremony at Jammu on March one.
Modi and Sayeed were all smiles as they hugged and posed for cameras with their photographs trending on social networks within minutes.
“I have extended invitation to the Prime Minister for attending the ceremony and he has agreed,” Sayeed told reporters after the meeting at PM’s official residence at 7, Race Course Road.
He refused to answer any specific questions on controversial issues like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) or Article 370 and said the Common Minimum programme (CMP) will be announced at 3 PM on Sunday.
He said lot of discussions have taken place for the past two months to forge a common ground, a common agenda. He equated the PDP-BJP coalition with “bringing together of North Pole with South Pole”.
“The mandate of election is clear that PDP is the choice of people in Kashmir and BJP in Jammu. So we decided that we will unite together to give a government which will give all round development to all the regions in the state,” he said.
“It was discussed how a stable government should be formed. The PDP was of the view that we should not allow the opportunity to go waste as it was a historic opportunity with the government at the Centre that has a clear mandate of people to deliver,” he said.
Sayeed, who will be returning to power after a gap of more than nine years, backed Modi’s slogan, saying, “I also want Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas (development for all).” He was the Chief Minister of the state from November, 2002 to 2005.
When asked about Article 370 which gives special status to the state and AFSPA, Sayeed said, “Leave these issues. These are not issues. We have to do all this (hame karna padta hai)…All this will come in the Common Minimum Programme which will be announced after the swearing-in.”
To a question whether the CMP was for governance or for political alliance, he said, “It (the alliance) is both for political and governance. First political and then governance. When political atmosphere will be right then only governance will take place.”
Questioned whether it is a tough road ahead, Sayeed said, “I think it is alright. The PM also has a vision. I think he also understands that it (the alliance) has to be made to work.”
“Both regions (Kashmir and Jammu) should be brought together. On external dimension (mending ties with Pakistan), policy of Atal Bihari Vajpayee should be carried forward. Modiji has agreed,” he said.
The PDP patron said he aims to give a “healing touch” as anguish in one part of the huge country is not a good thing.
“My view was that an opportunity has come that Jammu region and Kashmir region will come together. If BJP got mandate in Jammu and PDP in Kashmir Valley, therefore they have got support of people. There is credibility. When they will merge, it will be dejure. It takes six hours from Jammu to the Valley, but opportunity is there to connect hearts and minds of people,” he said.
Sayeed said second aspect is when former Prime Minister Vajpayee visited Kashmir in 2002-03, he started a journey of friendship in Srinagar.
“He extended a hand of friendship towards Pakistan, saying we can change friends but not our neighbours. So (the then Pakistan President Pervez) Musharraf also responded. It is the dream of the Prime Minister and mine to develop Kashmir as an ‘island of peace’. So, in that process, it is necessary to engage Pakistan,” he said.
“….so I want to repeat history. Today, the Prime Minister has mandate of the people. He has got full legitimacy to deliver,” he said.
The December 23 election results saw a highly-fractured mandate with PDP emerging as single-largest party with 28 MLAs followed by BJP with 25. Erstwhile allies National Conference and Congress ended with 15 and 12 seats respectively.
BJP and PDP, which have been in negotiations for nearly two months now, have sorted out all the differences over Article 370, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, resettlement of West Pakistan Refugees and holding of talks with Pakistan and separatist leaders of the state.
A former Union Home Minister in V P Singh government, which was supported by the BJP from outside in 1989, Sayeed will be administered oath by state Governor N N Vohra at Zorwar Singh Auditorium.
Ahead of the meeting between Sayeed and Modi, Presidents of both the parties — Mehbooba Mufti of PDP and Amit Shah of BJP, met here on Wednesday after which they announced formation of a coalition government in the state.
While Shah had tweeted after the meeting that “glory will be restored in the ‘Jewel of the Crown’, BJP-PDP Govt will take J and K to new heights by ensuring good governance and development”, Mehbooba had said that this government was not for power sharing but to “win hearts and minds of the people of the state”.
National Conference spokesman Junaid Mattu took a dig at the statement of Sayeed about releasing the CMP after the swearing-in ceremony and tweeted “Long and short of it – “People of Kashmir you won’t know what @jkpdp has sold out on until AFTER Govt. is formed. After that kya kar lo gey (what can you do)?”
“Also Mehbooba Mufti and Naeem Akhtar repeatedly announced CMP would be made public BEFORE alliance sealed. Why AFTER swearing-in now,” he said.
Madhav said it was an alliance for governance but “no doubt there has been a political accommodation on both sides in it without compromising anywhere.”
The PDP patron said he aims to give a “healing touch” as anguish in one part of the huge country is not a good thing.
“My view was that an opportunity has come that Jammu region and Kashmir region will come together. If BJP got mandate in Jammu and PDP in Kashmir Valley, therefore they have got support of people. There is credibility. When they will merge, it will be de jure. It takes six hours from Jammu to the Valley, but opportunity is there to connect hearts and minds of people,” he said.
Sayeed said second aspect is when former Prime Minister Vajpayee visited Kashmir in 2002-03, he started a journey of friendship in Srinagar.
“He extended a hand of friendship towards Pakistan, saying we can change friends but not our neighbours. So (the then Pakistan President Pervez) Musharraf also responded. It is the dream of the Prime Minister and mine to develop Kashmir as an ‘island of peace’. So, in that process, it is necessary to engage Pakistan,” he said.
“….so I want to repeat history. Today, the Prime Minister has mandate of the people. He has got full legitimacy to deliver,” he said.
Opposition party National Conference, in the meanwhile, took a dig at the alliance saying that PDP leaders had been claiming that the CMP will be released before the swearing-in ceremony.
Working President of NC and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wondered what made Sayeed to say that people of Kashmir are happy with his alliance with the BJP.
“Where are the celebrations on the streets of Jammu and Kashmir? There should have been spontaneous eruption of joy on both sides of the mountains.
“I’m sure a few crackers will be organised between now and Sunday but the general reaction is decidedly muted,” Omar tweeted.
