Opinion Breaking the ice

Narendra Modi, Mehbooba Mufti in Delhi Tuesday. (Source: PTI)

The PDP and the BJP appear set to revive their coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir. PDP leader and chief minister-designate, Mehbooba Mufti, has decided “to repose trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and work towards government formation. This is a step in the right direction. The two parties may be reluctant allies, but they need to work together for the sake of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. A popular government needs to be in place in Srinagar to address the exceptional situation in the state. Since the death of PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in January, the state has been without a government. Governor’s rule is not a substitute for an elected government and a fresh election is not an option. The positive vibes from the Mehbooba-Modi meeting on Tuesday indicate that the trust deficit the PDP leaders hinted at has been addressed by the BJP’s central leadership. The two parties must now work out a governance agenda — they had agreed on a roadmap last year — and focus on delivery.

The post-poll coalition worked out by the PDP and the BJP in J&K was an audacious experiment. The 2014 assembly election delivered a sharply polarised verdict. The BJP had nearly swept the Jammu region whereas the Valley voted largely for the PDP: Neither party could win a seat outside their area of strength. The legislative arithmetic — 27 seats for the PDP and 25 for the BJP in the 87-member assembly — was such that the two parties needed to form a coalition for the state to have a government. A PDP-BJP alliance is a platform where the distinct political aspirations of Jammu and the Valley could meet and negotiate a common ground. The presence of the Mufti, an experienced politician with immense negotiating skills, at the helm helped to form and sustain the coalition government. The new PDP leadership must realise that the support of the party in office in New Delhi is in the interest of Srinagar at this juncture. The state needs Central funds, including for rebuilding infrastructure that was destroyed in the 2014 floods, and the prime minister has promised help. The BJP leadership must not let its regional ambitions override the need for a stable government in Srinagar, a matter of utmost national interest. The PDP’s subnationalist political idiom is at variance with the BJP’s integrationist impulse, which reflects the nature of their respective constituencies. The two parties ought to recognise each other’s political compulsions and not let these interfere with the governance process.

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The necessity of forming a government in Srinagar calls for the two parties to compromise on their core concerns and focus on development goals. The credibility of the coalition will ultimately depend on whether it delivers an effective and transparent government.