Srinagar: Amid speculation that outgoing Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah met the BJP leadership, including party president Amit Shah and Union minister Arun Jaitley, in New Delhi late on Wednesday evening to discuss the possibility of government formation in the state, a fuming Congress, the NC’s ally for six years, has, without naming Mr Abdullah, called him and his party “power hungry”.
The BJP, however, on Thursday denied that any such meeting took place with Mr Abdullah. The outgoing CM also took to Twitter to make this assertion. “So many stories doing the rounds about a BJP-NC deal. Let me say this as strongly as possible THERE IS NO DEAL NOR ANY DISCUSSION going on (sic). I hope someone from the PDP/BJP/Cong steps up & forms a government in J&K quickly. Denying stupid rumours is fast becoming a full-time job,” Mr Abdullah tweeted.
Mr Jaitley, along with minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, reached Jammu on Thursday and held discussions with party MLAs. Mr Jaitley asserted that the saffron party has several options in government formation and holds the “veto power” in the state.
“All options are open for us. The newly-elected MLAs of the party have decided that they will go with the decision of party president Amit Shah, who will take a decision which is good for the party, the state and the country... The central leadership of the party will decide where it wants to sit in the Assembly or how to form the government,” Mr Jaitley said while addressing the media.
The NC, which was till Wednesday evening speaking in many voices, which included extending support to the PDP in government formation, and, at the same time, proclaiming it will not take the lead for talks on the issue on the plea that “government formation is the responsibility of the BJP and the PDP because they have more numbers than the National Conference”, is now reportedly holding discussions with the BJP.
Mr Abdullah, who has delayed his visit to London where his parents have recently undergone surgery, has called some senior NC leaders and his close associates to Delhi for consultations and to assist him in talks with the BJP leadership. He flew back to Srinagar from Delhi on Thursday afternoon and tweeted: “All the camera crews outside my home are going to be very disappointed when I leave Srinagar tomorrow having met no one ‘interesting’ here.”
Reports emanating from Delhi and NC and BJP sources in Srinagar said that the BJP is adamant on having its chief minister in the state for a full six-year term but the NC wants a rotational chief minister, besides three major portfolios.
As the two sides have agreed to continue with the discussions, the BJP has conveyed to Mr Abdullah that a final decision will be taken only after Mr Jaitley meets state party leaders.
