Pact was between Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and BJP: PDP leader

SRINAGAR: Describing the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ as a pact between late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a senior People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader has stressed that the common minimum programme needed to be “re-launched” between the two parties afresh.

Speaking to ET on the condition of anonymity, the PDP leader, a former state minister close to Sayeed and Mehbooba, clarified that the party president wanted “concrete assurances” from New Delhi and has asked for confidence building measures that can give “a fillip to the new dispensation” in the state. “Mufti sahab had a stature and Agenda of Alliance (AoA) was a pact between him and BJP. Now it has to be re-launched as AoA between BJP and PDP,” the leader said.

The delay on the decision in forming the government, according to the leader, was also a result of the “process to think of what should be the modalities of re-launch”. “She is not looking anywhere else. But this process can take some time,” the PDP leader, aware of the nitty-gritty of the AoA, said.

Mehbooba, as of now, has not assigned anybody in the party to negotiate with the BJP. She has formally conveyed her party’s position to the state governor, who in capacity of a “constitutional guide” to form the new government, could act as interlocutor to break the ice between the two parties.

“There were problems in implementation of the AoA, which were bureaucratic as well. New Delhi has to take care of such hurdles now,” the PDP leader said. Mehbooba during her party meeting last week stated that government of India has to take some ‘tangible steps’ to address causes of J&K’s “political uncertainty, economic disempowerment, development deficit and unfulfilled promises”.

The PDP president has sought assurances on maintaining constitutional provision of special status of J&K, time-bound release of funds promised in the development package and reconciliation with Pakistan. “There were some recurrent unsettling developments which led to lack of congenial atmosphere and had negative impact even on the good work done on the government front,” she said.