Known for flaring up emotions for political mileages the PDP President and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has virtually put the BJP on defensive by warning the Modi government that any attempt to break the PDP by BJP for government formation in Jammu & Kashmir will give birth to likes of Syed Sallah Ud Din and Yaseen Malik. Though admitted fact is that Mehbooba Mufti’s provocative remark against Modi government over dissidence in her party won’t generate any sympathy for PDP in Kashmir valley but equally undeniable fact is that any attempt to break the PDP by BJP would ruin the good track record of BJP in dealing with a popular governments in Jammu & Kashmir during the Vajpayee led NDA rule at the centre. On one hand the BJP boasts of the good reputation Vajpayee had earned in dealing with erstwhile Mufti Mohammad Sayeed headed PDP-Congress coalition government but on the other hand the incumbent Modi government at the centre has earned a bad reputation of allowing the petitions against article 370 and 35 A go almost uncontested by the central government in the supreme court of the country. Mehbooba Mufti has to understand that her PDP is not Muslim United Front (MUF) which fought against NC-Congress combine in 1987 rigged elections but a party which went for an alliance with BJP in total violation of the public mandate given to it in 2014 assembly elections by the people of Kashmir. So by warning Modi government on present dissidence in PDP Mehbooba Mufti won’t find any takers for her provocative remark in Kashmir.
A miscalculated remark by Mehbooba Mufti would by all probabilities intensify the deepening dissidence in her party and as such better for her to settle conflicts with the rebels than raising of fingers of suspicion on others.
Unfortunately Mehbooba Mufti has invoked PDP’s break up attempt by BJP for warning the central government when she should have warned the central government over article 35 A scheduled to come up for hearing on August 6 this year. Nothing new in seeing mainstream political parties splitting for power in Jammu & Kashmir but the matter of huge concern is the approach of the Modi government on issues concerning special status of the state like the legal row over article 35 A and the killing of civilians in the ongoing operation against militants in Kashmir valley. Had Mehbooba Mufti warned Modi government over its approach on petition against article 35 A vis-à-vis the pull out from her government the people in Kashmir would believe what Mehbooba would say about the betrayal BJP. A miscalculated remark by Mehbooba Mufti would by all probabilities intensify the deepening dissidence in her party and as such better for her to settle conflicts with the rebels than raising of fingers of suspicion on others.