PDP-BJP government in Kashmir hits a pothole: Mufti credits militants for smooth elections

It took three months for the state of Jammu & Kashmir to get a new government, but only hours for it to rush into controversy. The offender none other than PDP patriarch Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. At a press conference shortly after he was sworn in, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, Mufti appeared to thank Pakistan sponsored separatist militants for ‘allowing’ the state to hold peaceful elections. [caption id=“attachment_2130687” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sayeed at the press conference on Sunday. AP image[/caption] “God forbid if they (militants) would have done something. It would not have been possible to have smooth conduct of the elections.” “People from across the border made the atmosphere conducive. They also allowed the democratic process to continue in the state. This gives us a hope,” he said, in an obvious reference to Pakistan. The comment immediately drew flak from various quarters, with former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah launching a particularly stinging attack from his Twitter account:

"Pakistan, Huriyaat & Militants ALLOWED peaceful conduct of elections" says Mufti Syed. I guess we should be grateful for their generosity.

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 1, 2015

Dear @BJP4India please explain roll of security forces & polling staff considering your CM just said "Pakistan allowed elections in J&K".

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 1, 2015

Dear Mufti Sahib, thank you, thank you a thousand times for this press conference.

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 1, 2015

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The National Conference’s former ally, the Congress party was also quick to slam the new Chief Minister. “J&K CM’s statement is most unfortunate and mocks the overwhelming public mandate,” Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala was quoted as saying in the Times of India. “With one stroke, the PDP-BJP alliance has taken away the credit from people of J&K for participating in historic polls, and from the EC and security agencies for conducting them. The PM and BJP must answer whether they stand by such unflinching support for Pakistan, Hurriyat and militants”. Meanwhile The Panthers Party, a regional outfit based in Udhampur that was wiped out in the election, was quoted as saying by the Economic Times, that the CM’s comments were far fetched. “If the elections took place peacefully in J&K, if people’s participation was there, it was mainly because of the contribution and the cooperation of the Indian army,” party leader Bhim Singh said in comments reported by the newspaper. He is seeking an explanation from the PM. Sayeed’s comments have not only provided ample fodder for his political opponents, but are also not a very promising sign of what the future holds for the unlikely coalition of the PDP and BJP. The fact that the two parties even decided to try and form a joint government, raised more than a few eyebrows, with many of the opinion that the two would never be able to work together. The ultra nationalist BJP had made the revocation of Article 370 one of its major election planks in the state, and has always been very clear that separatist forces needed to be crushed by the military. The PDP on the other hand, could not be more different. As pointed out by Firstpost reporter Sameer Yasir, “When the state of Jammu and Kashmir went to polls in 2002, Mufti Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti, in their public rallies, advocated the need to move beyond the ‘beaten track’. In the bastion of PDP in south Kashmir, once the hotbed of Hizbul Mujahideen, Muftis would refer to the Kashmiri militants fighting security forces as “our boys in the jungles.” Load cheers followed these utterances and people saw the party as a credible alternative to the National Conference which had traditionally ruled the state, with or without the support of Congress, and almost always miserably.” As it became clearer that the two parties were leaning towards collaborating with one another, the outrage in the valley was palpable. Many Kashmiris had turned out in force to vote overwhelmingly for the PDP - a vote that was as much anti-BJP as it was anti-incumbency. “Detractors took to social networking sites, newspapers and televised debates, warning the PDP that its patriarch, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, would meet the fate of one of Kashmir’s tallest leaders, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, whose grave needs round-the-clock police protection”, noted this _Firstpost_ article . In South Kashmir’s Bijbehara town where PDP has its original roots, residents told _Firstpost_ the party has already lost its foothold, which was why it lost six seats from the area which was once considered as its stronghold. “We voted to keep BJP out of power but the same BJP will rule us now. This is not what we have voted for. This is not why we trusted Mufti saheb. We feel cheated and the PDP will face the consequences of its alliance with BJP in Kashmir in coming years,” Nazir Ahmed Wagay, who lives in Anantnag, said. Sayeed, an astute and experienced politician, cannot but be aware of this. This could be the reason that he decided to not only make the comment at the press conference, but also delay the formation of the government for so long. The BJP has chosen not to criticise Sayeed so early into the alliance. But if this is the tone and tenor that the PDP chief continues to adopt, he will be playing a dangerous game. He cannot play provocateur and CM at the same time, especially when he is provoking is the other half of his own government. If he continues doing so, the obvious question would be why he chose to ally with the BJP in the first place. And more dangerously, if his comments stir a bitter rift within the newly formed government, it will be governance that suffers, which will not sit well with the people either. Little wonder that Omar Abdullah thanked Sayeed for his press conference. Sayeed has effectively painted himself into a corner, which will be very tricky for him to negotiate his way out of. This could be just the opening that the former CM  and other political opponents need.