Mutually agreeable formulations on the question of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status and the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) remained elusive for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but both sides on Monday remained optimistic about arriving at a Common Minimum Programme (CMP), to form a coalition government in the State.
“Factors pushing us closer are stronger than those pulling us apart. But nothing is done until it is done,” a senior BJP functionary told The Hindu , adding that some reservations in the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) – reported in a section of the media – are only to be expected, but not “insurmountable.” Sources said that given the antagonistic and long-held positions of both parties, preparing the ground among the cadres before an agreement is announced, is critical.
“While the BJP has agreed to most of our Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and seems to be open to our stand on the AFSPA, they seem very reluctant to commit to anything that could be interpreted as giving up its stand on Article 370,” a senior PDP leader told The Hindu . “Often, when we discuss the easy things, it feels as if the difficult things would never come up, so while we are right now dealing with difficult things, we are on course.”
While the political position of the PDP and the Kashmir agenda of BJP-RSS are polar opposites, the two have expressed a clear will to come together in an ‘issue-based alliance.’.
“We have openly expressed our will to form the government with them (BJP), but it can only happen when they agree to our CMP,” PDP chief spokesperson, Naeem Akhter, told The Hindu . “This alliance is an existential issue for us and can be our undoing, and so we want to be clear on things like the AFSPA and Article 370 and want assurances in writing before joining hands with the BJP,” Mr. Akhter said.
According to sources, the few issues in the PDP’s CMP that the BJP might find contentious are the “complete withdrawal of the AFSPA” from J&K “within one year” and “immediate withdrawal from certain areas of the state”, a status quo on the J-K citizenship issue of the West Pakistan refugees, and ‘ non-negotiability of Article 370’. “Instead of saying ‘revocation’ of the AFSPA, the BJP would go with the word ‘withdrawal’ and make it seem like it is a temporary affair. Language will be a recourse,” a senior leader told The Hindu .
