Facing anger over unrest, PDP banks on alliance ‘agenda’

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 31

At a time when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing resentment in its bastion of south Kashmir, the party is now banking on effective implementation of the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ as a face-saver.

The party leadership is hoping that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will ensure speedy implementation of the ‘Agenda of Alliance’, the road map for governance agreed upon by the PDP and BJP in 2015.

“The present unrest has surely hit the party core base, but we are hopeful that the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ will be implemented. The whole party is banking on it and that is the last hope,” said a senior PDP leader on  condition of anonymity.

“If Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is able to successfully implement the promises made in the ‘Agenda of Alliance’, the PDP will remain intact and survive even though we know that electorally our prospects are not that bright now,” the PDP leader added. While most of the speaking during the present crisis had been done by the Chief Minister, utterances of party leaders were not in sync.

While Member of Parliament Muzaffar Hussain Baig had been accused of making contradictory statements in New Delhi, his colleague Tariq Hamid Karra had been hitting out at the state and Central governments over mishandling the issue.

A senior Cabinet minister said the situation was expected to be normal around Eid, which would be immediately followed by the harvesting season. Most of the violence following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani had taken place in rural Kashmir.

The PDP was  worried about south Kashmir as its leaders were unable to move around and reach out to the cadres. Many cadre members had resigned publicly. “It is a difficult situation, but we are sure about coming out of it,” said a PDP lawmaker from south Kashmir.