More clarity on ‘third front’ as Bukhari, the likely future CM, says Congress, PDP and NC have agreed to join hands to defend Article 35 for Jammu and Kashmir.
Altaf Bukhari (Photo: Twitter/@AltafBukhari01)
Amid reports of the PDP, Congress and National Conference (NC) having almost stitched an alliance to stake claim to form the government in J&K under the possible chief ministership of Altaf Bukhari, political activity has heated up in the state.
There were reports of a meeting on the issue between the Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, former chief minister and NC leader Omar Abdullah and PDP leader and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. The NC as a tacit move would support the PDP-Congress government from outside.
The political scene has started getting clear as PDP leader Altaf Bukhari, who was finance minister in the previous PDP-BJP government, said the Congress and NC had agreed to ally with them to defend the special identity of Jammu and Kashmir, politically and legally. He said there would be a good news within a day or two.
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“Being an extraordinary situation, it is imperative for the three parties to come together as in democracy everyone has the right to explore whatever is possible,” he said.
READ MORE | Congress, NC, PDP plan J-K third front as BJP intensifies efforts to form government
It is learnt that the three parties have decided to shelve their ideological differences for the time being to strongly contest in the Supreme Court the petition against Article 35A. There were reports that Mehbooba Mufti had initially suggested that either Farooq Abdullah or Omar Abdullah should head the coalition government, but both turned down the offer and made it clear that they would support the PDP-Congress dispensation only to protect Article 35A and keep the BJP away from power.
According to reports, leaders of the three parties might call on Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday or Thursday to stake claim to form the government.
Reacting to the development, BJP leader Kavinder Gupta, who was deputy chief minister in the PDP-BJP government, described it an opportunistic attempt by the three parties.
He said all three parties had their political base only in the Kashmir valley and not in Jammu and Ladakh. The BJP could stake its claim to form government only if like-minded people came up to support its move, he added.
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