J&K govt formation: Governor NN Vohra asks PDP and BJP leaders to meet him

NEW DELHI: Top BJP leaders from J&K — Jugal Kishore, Nirmal Singh and Sat Sharma — rushed to Delhi on Monday to call on party president Amit Shah to discuss the future course of action.

Sources said there is a sense of urgency following a letter written by governor NN Vohra to Mufti and Sharma, who is the state BJP chief, asking them to clear the air on government formation in the state. The governor has asked both of them to meet him on Tuesday with their response, so that he can take a view on the situation, even as the 10-monthold alliance seems to be on the verge of collapse. Following the letter, Mufti met her party MLAs at her residence in Srinagar on Monday afternoon.

The BJP camp did not appear optimistic though party leaders maintained the government will be formed soon. Sources said the governor sent the letter after PDP’s meeting in Srinagar on Sunday, where Mufti is believed to have said her father’s decision to align with BJP was courageous but unpopular. She told her party colleagues she will think about government formation with BJP only after reassessing the terms of the alliance.

Sources said her concern was whether BJP at the Centre would take steps to solve the core political and economic issues of J&K in a time-bound manner.

They said PDP was willing to form a government with the BJP only after an assurance from the Centre on issues such as removal of AFSPA, Article 370, diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, special employment package for J&K.