BJP not looking to form govt in J&K, wants Governor’s rule to stay, says Ram Madhav
Madhav’s party colleague and former J&K deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta had hinted at taking a shot at government formation after five PDP legislators openly revolted against party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Contradictions have surfaced between the positions of the central and state units of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir with the support of dissident legislators from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
On Saturday, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, in a post on Twitter, ruled out any attempt at government formation and insisted that the party was in favour of continuing with Governor’s Rule in the troubled state.
Madhav’s tweet came in response to National Conference (NC) leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah’s post claiming that the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit had “confessed” to having initiated efforts to break its former ally, the PDP.
“Power at any cost would seem to be the guiding philosophy,’’ Abdullah had tweeted, claiming that contrary to Madhav’s assertions, the BJP’s state unit had “confessed to being a party” to the efforts to break the PDP.
“Not true. I will certainly check with the state unit and ensure that the BJP keeps itself scrupulously out of whatever is happening in other parties in the valley,” Madhav said.
Madhav’s party colleague and former J&K deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta had hinted at taking a shot at government formation after five PDP legislators openly revolted against party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
J&K came under Governor’s Rule on June 20, a day after Mufti quit following the pullout of the BJP from the coalition government she led.
“We have recently left the government. But once the situation improves, we could consider forming a new government with like-minded legislators as the assembly is in suspended animation,” Gupta had said, indicating that the party was likely to explore the possibilities after the culmination of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage next month.
“This government still has time. If the situation improves tomorrow, the new government should be formed instead of going to the elections. Because even after the elections we have to do the same thing,” Gupta added.
But Madhav asserted that the BJP’s was in favour of continuing with Governor’s Rule in the interest of peace, governance and development.
Political observers said Madhav’s statement will set at rest all speculation around government formation in J&K. “We are in for a long haul of Governor’s Rule given by the recent developments. I think the talk of government formation was politically ill-advised for the BJP. If you look at psychology both in Jammu as well as in Kashmir, people are relieved that Governor’s Rule has been imposed. Also, given the massive loss of credibility for the BJP and the PDP, it would not be right for the BJP to indulge in such things. The fact that Ram Madhav has stepped in and nipped these rumours in the bud is a relief and will do good to the BJP and the state,” said Dipankar Sengupta of Jammu University.
The speculation over the BJP making an attempt to cobble together a coalition gained momentum after Madhav met People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Ghani Lone and independent legislator Engineer Rashid during his visit to Srinagar last week.
Following Mehbooba’s resignation, five PDP legislators -- Imran Reza Ansari, Abid Ansari, Abdul Majeed Padder, Abbas Wani and Javed Hassan Baig -- openly revolted against her allegedly for “turning the party into a family fiefdom”.
These legislators even hinted at forming government by keeping the Mufti family out of the entire process. “There are more legislators with me than Mehbooba Mufti,” Imran Ansari had said.
Political experts say none of the legislators want to face elections at this time and hence they are exploring different options. The term of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly is six years and the next elections are scheduled to be held in December 2020, almost 30 months from now.
“There will be pressure from individual legislators. And in this case the PDP is more vulnerable than the other parties. Over the past three years of its alliance with the BJP, the PDP has lost credibility and its legislators are uncertain about their future and apprehensive about their electoral prospects,” said Srinagar-based political analyst Noor Ahmed Baba.
In her first media appearance after her ouster, Mehbooba told India TV that any attempt to break her party would be taken seriously. “If Delhi intervenes and breaks our party, and makes Sajjad Ghani Lone or whosoever as the chief minister, it will erode the trust of the Kashmiris in the Indian democracy. Any intervention from Delhi will be taken seriously,” she said.
