J-K alliance shows PM Modi is ‘inclusive’: Mufti Mohammed Sayeed

“Mr Modi is inclusive,” he said, “and the biggest example of that is the PDP-BJP coalition. He understands diversity.”

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Sayeed said as chief minister, his mission was to make a real difference by bringing about reconciliation — between India and Pakistan; Delhi and J&K; Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits; and the regions of the state.

“I would like Kashmir to become a bridge between India and Pakistan,” he said.

Less than three months after his government was sworn in, Sayeed is facing criticism in the Valley. Preoccupied in the initial weeks with the controversy over the release and re-arrest of separatist leader Masarat Alam, and then over Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement that there would be separate “townships” for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, his government is seen as not having begun the task of delivering governance to the people.

Srinagar is still recovering from last year’s flood, and people are struggling to pick up their lives once again. The inadequate distribution of government assistance to flood victims remains a sore issue, as the state awaits central assistance.

Declining to comment on the prospects of this assistance, Sayeed said that providing rehabilitation to the people was a challenge for his government. “Yes, this is a great test for me, my ability and my competence,” he said, adding that it was “also a great opportunity to reconstruct” Kashmir.

Exuding optimism about the PDP’s alliance with the BJP, Sayeed said Modi’s vision was “long term” and would yield positive results for India. He also praised Modi’s outreach to other states, mentioning his recent attempts to mend fences with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sayeed said Modi would have to take decisions in the way former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and his then finance minister Manmohan Singh did in 1991, adding that “later the Congress wasted all its populist measures”.

Recalling Modi’s invitation to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his oath-taking last year, Sayeed said he was hopeful that the peace process with Pakistan would be revived at “the right time”. “Dialogue (between India and Pakistan) is the only answer, and here in the state, it is the ballot, not the bullet,” he said.