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Senior Congress leader and former Union finance minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday failed to break the deadlock between the Congress and the People's Democratic Party on the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister's post and the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).
As special emissary of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh had an hour-long meeting with PDP chief Mufti Mohammed Sayeed at his Nowgam residence on Sunday afternoon.
"New proposals were put forth by Singh and these will now be discussed in the meeting of PDP legislators on Monday," a PDP source close to Sayeed said.
The two sides are expected to resume discussions on Monday.
The PDP says Mufti Mohammad Sayeed should head the new government in the state as the chief minister has traditionally been from the Kashmir valley but with a greater number of legislators, the Congress wants its man Ghulam Nabi Azad in the top post.
Talking to newsmen after meeting the PDP chief Manmohan Singh said "my talks with Mufti will continue tomorrow". However PDP chief refused to talk to journalists and instead returned to his room after the meeting.
Immediately after his arrival in Srinagar, Singh drove straight to Hotel Broadway where to meet Congress leaders and MLAs.
A senior Congress leader who was at the meeting told rediff.com that the MLAs and others present made it clear to Singh that 'there will be no compromise on the chief minister's post'.
As far as the CMP is concerned, the Congress is against the release of militants and disbanding of the special operations group (SOG) of the J&K police.
Sources said that the Congress was waiting for a split in the PDP to secure the required number (44) to stake claim to form the government in the state.
"These are only rumours. None of our MLAs will join them. But let them try," said senior PDP leader Tariq Hamid Qarra.
The governor has said that there is no deadline for the parties to stake claim to form the government.
"But the party/parties staking the claim would have to satisfy me about its prospect of winning the vote of confidence on the floor of the assembly," Governor G C Saxena had announced on Saturday.
Meanwhile, after a brief lull, militants on Sunday evening killed a police constable at Khanyar in the old city. In another incident, militants struck in Dalgate locality on Sunday evening killing a paramilitary soldier. Security has been mounted in the capital after Sunday's attacks.
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