PDP-BJP agree on J&K govt formation, Mufti to be CM: reports

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Peoples Democratic Party seem to have reached an understanding over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir with reports emerging on Saturday that PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed could be the new chief minister of the state.

Sayeed, who returned to winter capital Jammu Friday after spending a week in Mumbai, was quoted by media outlets as claiming that an agreement had been reached on all contentious issues between the two parties.

"Yes, main agreement has been reached on the draft of the CMP (common minimum programme) on contentious issues like article 370, armed forces special powers act (AFSPA) and the plight of West Pakistan refugees.

"It has been agreed that without any written reference to it, both the parties would respect the wishes of the people of the state in consonance with the constitution of the country with regard to article 370," Zee News quoted a top PDP source as saying.

As per the agreement, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will be the chief minister for the full six years.

A Common Minimum Programme is also ready and is being shown to leaders of both the parties, media reports said, adding that BJP deputy chief minister's post is expected to be given to state party leader Nirmal Singh. According to the sources, the portfolios have also been finalised with the PDP likely to walk away with Home and Finance while BJP is expected to get Tourism and Water Resources, Public Health Engineering and Planning.

The leaders of the PDP, which has 28 MLAs and BJP with 25 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly, chose to keep under wraps details of the CMP as also how the two sides thrashed out contentious issues including Article 370, the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act and rehabilitation of nearly 25,000

West Pakistan Refugees over which they were sharply divided.

The CMP needs to be read in totality and not in bits and pieces, leaders from both the political parties, who preferred anonymity, stressed.

PDP and BJP have been in talks ever since the election results on December 23 last gave a fractured verdict. The state is under Governor's Rule for over a month.

The two sides are understood to have agreed on formation of a Committee which will go into the AFSPA issue and suggest areas from where it could be revoked.

On Article 370, while BJP has given no written assurance as demanded by the PDP, the CMP is expected to say that both parties will respect the aspirations of the people of the state within the Constitution, the sources indicated.

The proposed CMP may also touch upon the issue of more than 25,000 families of West Pakistan refugees by terming it as a humanitarian issue.

Reacting to the development, former chief minister Omar Abdullah claimed that the agreement was reached much earlier, but the regional party (PDP) was enacting a "drama" all these days to undo the damage it may have to undergo in the Valley.

"The PDP-BJP tie up was a done deal ages ago, all this was just (PDP patron) Mufti (Mohammad) Sayeed's grandstanding as a tough guy to undo the damage in the Valley," Omar wrote on Twitter.

The National Conference working president said only an "idiot" would have concluded that both the parties were having difficulty in joining hands.

"Only an idiot would have concluded that Mufti Sayeed's drama over the last few days meant PDP-BJP were actually having difficulty joining up," he said.

Omar had on Friday accused the PDP of a "sell-out" to BJP on the issue of Article 370 and by helping the BJP win seats in legislative council, where the saffron party was unrepresented so far.