Thaw warms BJP-PDP too: ‘Open to Hurriyat talks’

The Common Minimum Programme was more or less finalised last evening between both the parties, sources in the BJP said.

The PDP and BJP are already fighting the elections for four Rajya Sabha seats together.

The PDP, sources said, was trying to impress upon the BJP that Article 370 was an extension of Modi’s idea of cooperative federalism.

The announcement of Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan has given hope to the PDP, which is engaged in talks with the BJP for forming the government in Jammu and Kashmir, that all substantive issues would be discussed by the two countries.

What gives the PDP this confidence is that the BJP is now open to talks with Hurriyat which, it feels, will go some distance in building the right atmosphere, sources privy to the negotiations said.

“We have discussed the need to talk with the Hurriyat Conference. There are no major issues on this,” said a source.

The two sides held talks for the third straight day on Friday, in what could be the last leg of negotiations between the two parties. The BJP and the PDP are set to formally announce their tie-up to form the state government soon.

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The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) was more or less finalised last evening, sources in the BJP said.

But PDP’s concerns remained on the BJP’s position on the removal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the state and Article 370, they said. PDP sources said these were core issues and there was no point of a CMP without clarity on these.

The two parties have held more than a dozen rounds of talks in Jammu, Delhi and Mumbai over the past month-and-a-half.

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On Wednesday, BJP sources said the two parties would form the government in J&K before the Budget Session begins on February 23. PDP sources said they would rather hold extended talks, than show haste in forming a government without “properly understanding” their positions on core issues.

While both parties see an opportunity to make a difference, given BJP’s absolute majority in Lok Sabha and its need to ally with the PDP in the state, they are also being exposed to each other’s strong positions on AFSPA, Article 370 and talks with Hurriyat and Pakistan.
“A meeting of minds is expected, but it is taking time,” said a source.

The PDP, sources said, was trying to impress upon the BJP that Article 370 was an extension of Modi’s idea of cooperative federalism. “J&K, for historical reasons, got special dispensation. Why disturb it when the Prime Minister himself is keen on giving more freedom to states?” said a source.

But this means the BJP and RSS would have to compromise on their “one India, one Constitution” ideology. “This needs to addressed in the CMP,” said sources.

P Vaidyanathan Iyer

P. Vaidyanathan Iyer is The Indian Express’s Managing Editor, and leads the newspaper’s reporting across the country. He writes on India’s political economy, and works closely with reporters exploring investigation in subjects where business and politics intersect. He was earlier the Resident Editor in Mumbai driving Maharashtra’s political and government coverage. He joined the newspaper in April 2008 as its National Business Editor in Delhi, reporting and leading the economy and policy coverage. He has won several accolades including the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award twice, the KC Kulish Award of Merit, and the Prem Bhatia Award for Political Reporting and Analysis. A member of the Pulitzer-winning International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Vaidyanathan worked on several projects investigating offshore tax havens. He co-authored Panama Papers: The Untold India Story of the Trailblazing Offshore Investigation, published by Penguin. ... Read More

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