By F. Ahmed, IANS
Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is blowing hot and cold at the Congress, its ruling coalition partner. But it does not look that the two parties have reached a point of no return as yet.
PDP patron and former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and his daughter and PDP president Mehmooba Mufti have not cared to hide their feelings that they are not happy being part of the Congress-led coalition government.
But not everyone in their own party is in agreement with them. And of course the Congress wants to keep ruling till 2008.
Sayeed said last week that most of his party workers believe they must part ways with the Congress.
Mehbooba Mufti has been maintaining her cool despite provocations from National Conference (NC) leaders, including party chief Omar Abdullah, and some vocal ones in the Congress.
Abdullah has asked Congress Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to throw the PDP out if they did not withdraw gracefully from power.
Congress leaders have also been upping the ante.
“The PDP believes in rhetoric and cheap popularity. We supported them for three years in power and now it is their duty to support us,” said Abdul Gani Vakil, senior vice president of the state Congress known for his vitriol against the PDP leadership.
Azad has been keeping himself aloof from the storm in the coalition tea cup. He has been laying emphasis on development and progress while the PDP continues to re-assert its stand on emotional issues like withdrawal of security forces from civilian facilities and repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Senior PDP ministers have been attending cabinet meetings chaired by Azad.
“Those meetings take place smoothly. There is no tension when we sit across with the PDP ministers in the cabinet,” said a Congress minister here.
At least two senior PDP leaders, former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig and former urban development minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, are not in favour of parting ways with the Congress. Both stayed away from the crucial PDP meeting last week where voices against continuation in the coalition were raised.
Political circles are also agog with rumours that the PDP wants Azad to be replaced by Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz.
Most analysts believe the Congress would like to go into the 2008 elections with Azad in the chair. “Recalling Azad would be something the Congress cannot afford. It would send a signal of surrender before the PDP. Even if the Congress doesn’t have high stakes in the valley, its interests in the Jammu region will not be served by Azad’s recall,” said a party leader.
While the Congress and the PDP have made it clear both would go into the next elections without any alliance, the future of the present coalition might not be as precarious as it appears to outsiders.
The National Conference, the main opposition party, is still far from mending fences with the Congress leadership, especially Sonia Gandhi, who supports the Congress-PDP alliance.
“A decision on whether to continue (in the coalition) or not is pending. PDP legislators have authorised Sayeed to take the final decision,” Mehbooba Mufti said.
“We are not happy with the style of functioning of the government because there is a lack of consensus between the coalition partners.”
Asked why the PDP was not pulling out now, she said: “We believe the Kashmir issue has to be resolved for which we need the support of major national parties like the Congress.”
(F. Ahmed can be contacted at [email protected])