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Shahid K Abbas in New Delhi
Jammu and Kashmir Congress Committee chief Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday night said his party will continue its initiative for consolidating all 'non-National Conference and non-Bharatiya Janata Party forces' for formation of a coalition government in the state at the earliest.
After meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Azad said that efforts were on to persuade Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led People's Democratic Party to join the Congress in forming a coalition government.
Asked how soon his party would cobble up a coalition, he said the deadlines of October 17 and October 21 were not 'relevant' anymore after the imposition of governor's rule, which will be in place for a minimum of six months.
But Azad made it clear that he would 'not wait for months and desires to wrap it up [the [process of government formation] in one week'. He also clarified that there was 'no question' of forming the government with the support of the National Conference.
Earlier on Friday evening, Azad had rushed to New Delhi amid speculation that the party had managed to rustle up the support of 44 legislators needed to form the government.
The chief ministerial aspirant said that except the PDP he had been able to rope in every 'individual and group other than the National Conference'.
"We are still hopeful to go with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and may not like to take recourse to the route of splitting the PDP," he said. "The offer of the deputy chief ministership is open to the PDP even though I already have the support of 41 MLAs."
Responding to the demand that the post of the chief minister should go to an individual hailing from the valley, Azad said, "No one has raised that issue except for some interested individuals."
Congress party sources, however, told rediff.com that Azad had worked out an understanding with a section of the PDP leadership, which was growing wary of losing an opportunity to come to power.
Some political observers said Azad's offer of deputy chief ministership to the PDP was two-pronged strategy, firstly as a quid-pro-quo in case Sayeed teams up with the Congress, and secondly as an offer to any 'dissident' faction within the PDP.
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