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BJP president Amit Shah on Monday held talks with party leaders from its Jammu and Kashmir unit on the possibility of a structured dialogue to forge an alliance with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The BJP is confident of forming a government in the State and feels that none of the tricky issues — withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a promise to not revoke Article 370, resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, to name some — will prevent it from happening.
A PDP-BJP alliance, with their 28 and 25 seats respectively, is the most stable and alternatively most complicated partnership in the State.
With the BJP’s strength and base in Jammu and PDP mostly being confined to the Valley, the concerns and priorities too are different.
However, the BJP is very keen on coming to power, which will help it consolidate its best-ever performance in the State. The party feels issues that the PDP is ostensibly raising will ultimately not prove to be a hurdle in government formation.
“We will form the government at any cost. Even if they (PDP) do not accept our formula of rotating chief ministers for three years each, we will still be able to form government, at least for the first three years,” a BJP source said.
What this source was implying was that the BJP will propose rotating chief ministership and give the first chance of becoming CM to PDP chief Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. If the PDP thereupon does not allow the BJP to install its CM after the first three years, the BJP will at least be in a better place to consolidate its position in the State after having been in power.
Meanwhile, former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah attacked both the PDP and BJP for what he called their opportunism. Abdullah said the BJP had attacked him for seeking withdrawal of the AFSPA but was now discussing this issue with the PDP.
“So when I raised AFSPA, I was accused of playing politics with (national security). The BJP negotiates (government) formation with PDP using AFSPA, and that’s OK?” he remarked on his Twitter handle.
Abdullah also said the PDP is using the issue of flood relief to justify its negotiations on government formation with the BJP.
“We are being told by the PDP that the tie up with (the) BJP is necessary for the 44,000 (crore) flood relief. Shouldn’t a State just get its due?” he tweeted.
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