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Various parties held consultations on the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with no indication of any fresh alliances among the existing players.
Top leaders in the Congress, which has flatly refused any alliance with Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP), met at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence to discuss the party’s future course in the State, which is currently under Governor’s Rule. The J&K Assembly has been kept in suspended animation.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also a former CM of the State, had on Sunday, ruled out any alliance with the PDP, which lost power in the State after the BJP withdrew support from the coalition government. “There is no possibility of any alliance with the PDP now or in the future,” Azad said.
Azad is part of the Congress’ policy group on J&K along with former ministers P Chidambaram, Ambika Soni, Karan Singh and State Congress chief GA Mir.
Reports of a Congress-PDP alliance had begun doing the rounds on Friday night, when former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti arrived in Delhi. The PDP has 28 seats in the 87-member Assembly, and the Congress has 12. A simple majority of 44 is required and there was a possibility that the lone CPI(M) MLA and some independents could back this alliance.
However, the Congress has rubbished the suggestions, with its State party chief, GA Mir, asserting that it is the BJP which is trying its “nefarious designs” in the State. “Any attempt to form a government by indulging in illegal and unconstitutional methods of horse-trading and other foul means will be met with tough resistance,” Mir said.
Jammu and Kashmir has a separate anti-defection law, which is even tougher than the central law, and it invites disqualification of a legislator by the party chief in case of any violation of the whip. The J&K Assembly had, in 2005, passed a law that deleted para three of Schedule 7 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, according to which if a third of the MLAs of a party form a separate outfit, it gets the recognition of the House. This deletion makes it impossible for any legislator or a group of legislators to leave their party and join another.
Omar holds meeting
Meanwhile, the National Conference too has stepped up its organisational activities with party leader Omar Abdullah chairing a meeting of the zonal committee in Khanabal, Anantnag, along with other party leaders, MLAs, MLCs, district and block presidents.
“The meeting is discussing the reasons for structural weakness in South Kashmir in some constituencies, especially those we have been losing continuously since 2002,” Abdullah said in a Facebook post.
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