news details |
|
|
| After weeklong camping in New Delhi, Drabu returns home empty-handed | | PDP-BJP relationship runs into rough weather, again! | | Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Mar 1: After a weeklong camping in New Delhi for talks with Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to end the deadlock over Government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu on Tuesday afternoon returned here empty-handed. The surprise development is being seen as a major setback to the PDP-BJP relations while chances of the alliance look bleak.
Drabu, who landed at the Srinagar International Airport, looked disturbed as he didn't talk to anybody but simply phoned his staff and party people that "I have arrived". As per sources, he drove straight to his residence.
Sources said Drabu was asked by the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti to return immediately without any further deliberations with the BJP top brass in New Delhi.
Early Times learnt that PDP took a serious note of the Central Government not announcing any J&K-centric package in the Union Budget, which the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced in the Parliament on February 29.
Though, Drabu was prompt enough to hail the budget in New Delhi, his party back home felt embarrassed as the PDP was expecting another financial package for the State. "We were expecting a major announcement for Jammu and Kashmir in the Budget and it would have been a tangible confidence building measure as demanded by her (Mehbooba), but the Budget remained embarrassing for us," a PDP leader said, pleading anonymity.
On the weeklong "Mission Kashmir" in New Delhi, Drabu was accompanied by Prof Amitabh Mattoo, who remained advisor to the then Mufti led Government.
The 2-member team had been camping in the national capital, as a part of back channel diplomacy with the right wing BJP, to pave way for Government formation in the State.
The duo was understood to had sought permission of PDP President Mehbooba Mufti to allow them to negotiate with the BJP over Government formation in "accordance with the aspirations of the party leadership this time."
Sources said the duo had been in constant touch with senior BJP leader Ram Madhav, who is also the party's point-man on Kashmir. Till yesterday, at-least five rounds of talks were held between them, the sources added.
"Though till now developments had been on positive note, now suddenly things have run into rough weather and the future of any alliance with the BJP is bleak now," the PDP leader said.
Sources said even though the PDP's demand for revocation of AFSPA was likely to be rejected in the wake of recent attack on EDI Pampore, the BJP had expressed willingness to return Salal Hydel Project back to the State. And, this is what the PDP was apparently happy at.
"In the past days negotiations had been positive and the only thing pending was a final word of Modi Ji after which Mehbooba -Modi talks would be held. But it seems to be all over now," the sources said.
Even though Mehbooba was expected to personally negotiate with the BJP, it was later decided that let the duo from the party finalize on the bargain first.
However, the party leadership back-home was divided over the "credibility of the back channel deliberations."
"Actually he was sent on a "corrective mission" to correct the wrongs of negotiations as had happened between the two parties in the past. But except for praise for the BJP, there was nothing new in the negotiations again," the party leader said.
After the demise of Mufti on January 7, his daughter and party president Mehbooba had declined to take oath as the Chief Minister. Two days later Governor’s rule was imposed in the State.
Recently a breakthrough was expected as on February 28, Mehbooba Mufti hinted at continuance of alliance with the right wing party. It was a day before the announcement of the Budget. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
