Efforts to revive the BJP-PDP coalition in Jammu and Kashmir have hit a roadblock with BJP making it clear that government cannot be formed on the basis of conditions.
A day after Mehbooba Mufti met BJP chief Amit Shah, her party sources also indicated that the back-channel talks between the two sides on formation of a new government have failed.
However, BJP General Secretary, Ram Madhav, party’s pointsman in the state, went on record to say that the stalemate that existed earlier continued and that conditions cannot be the basis for government formation.
“There is no progress. As far as we are concerned there is no change in conditions that existed when Mufti Mohammed Sayeed sahab was the Chief Minister. The only change is that Mufti Saheb is no longer there and it was for PDP to appoint a new leader and carry on,” he said.
Replying to questions on Mehbooba-Shah meeting, Madhav said “there is no change in our stand. We have told them that a new government should be formed on the basis on conditions that existed earlier.”
With BJP saying that conditions cannot be the basis for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP said it had not set any new terms and was insisting only on implementation of issues agreed upon in the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ between the two parties.
“PDP has not set any new demands but only reiterated the implementation of ‘Agenda of Alliance’ as was earlier agreed with BJP,” it tweeted.
The PDP reaction came soon after BJP’s pointsman Ram Madhav went on record to say that the stalemate that existed earlier continued and that “conditions cannot be the basis for government formation.”
PDP, with 27 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly, ran a coalition government with 25-member BJP for 10 months before the sudden demise of then Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed. The state is now under Governor’s Rule since January 8.
