PDP, BJP ministers meet as discord grows

PDP and BJP ministers of Jammu and Kashmir held a closed door meeting along with BJP general secretary in-charge of Kashmir, Ram Madhav on Friday to defuse the tension between the two alliance partners. The meeting follows the People’s Democratic Party’s ultimatum to New Delhi that it cannot ignore the “agenda of alliance”. The meeting comes at a time when the regional party has been complaining to its partner that its credibility is suffering due to the “silence of the Centre on crucial issues”.  The PDP conveyed to Ram Madhav how the state unit of the BJP ditched them in the recently held Legislative Council elections and how the PDP has poached on the MLA of Zanskar, Aga Bakir, who voted for them and openly said that he would join the BJP if they met his demands. The “ditching” is cited as the reason for the PDP’s loss in the Jammu seat. J&K Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu conveyed the message of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in the meeting. It was suggested by the PDP that the situation would improve if the Centre initiated the process of “forward movement” on Kashmir. Haseeb Drabu has reportedly impressed upon the BJP leadership that they will have to take some action on the “reckless” remarks of minister Chander Parkash Ganga, who reportedly said that all Kashmiris were traitors and the stone-pelters should be treated only with bullets.