Sonia, Mehbooba meeting sets off alliance speculation

PDP and Congress had had a coalition government earlier and later Mehboob Mufti had joined hands with the BJP to share power in the erstwhile state, writes Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi:A meeting between Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti in the national capital on Monday set off speculation around a possible alliance between the two parties in the Union Territory. “The meeting means a lot for the people of J&K who have been anguished over the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The people also want restoration of statehood to the UT,” AICC in-charge Jammu and Kashmir Rajni Patil told ETV Bharat.

Patil, who said assembly polls in the UT could be announced anytime in the near future given the completion of the delimitation exercise, noted that any speculation about a possible alliance between the Congress and the PDP now would be “premature”. “It would be too early to comment on the alliance but it will be good if the secular forces can come together,” she said, “Home minister Amit Shah had promised statehood to the people of J&K.

After PM Modi had won a second consecutive term, the Centre had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special rights to J&K and converted the erstwhile state into a Union Territory. PDP and Congress had had a coalition government earlier and later Mehboob Mufti had joined hands with the BJP to share power in the erstwhile state.

J&K Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir said though Mehbooba may have made some mistakes in the past and even realized her folly, it was welcome if she wanted to work with the Congress. “In a democracy, old friends can always meet each other. This meeting is significant as it would assure the people of the UT who are feeling alienated that there is someone to look after them,” Mir told ETV Bharat.

He said that the recent joint statement of 13 opposition parties was a welcome step towards this kind of consolidation of like-minded parties. “Sonia Gandhi Ji has taken a lead and the smaller parties should come together against politics of hate. The meeting would give some sense of belonging to the PDP cadre as well,” said Mir, adding that “Mehbooba should remember that she was dubbed as anti-national by the BJP after she parted ways with the saffron party.”

The J&K Congress chief said that various political parties of the UT wanted to give their suggestions before the Delimitation Commission but did not get a chance. He demanded early elections in the UT. “People should get a chance to elect their own government. However, any alliance talks will be explored only when the polls are announced," he added.