'Snakes marry rats': Mufti's PDP consults separatist Hurriyat on tie-up with BJP

Grappling with its dilemma of how to sell an alliance with the BJP in Jammu & Kashmir, the PDP has turned to an unlikely source for advice: senior Hurriyat functionary Abdul Gani Bhat. According to a report in the Times of India, Bhat met with senior PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at his residence late on Wednesday evening and while he confirmed the meeting the Hurriyat leader said there was “no harm” since  “agendas are not discussed individually.” Bhat had however did not elaborate on his opinion of a possible PDP-BJP alliance, saying instead that “Snakes can marry rats and bulls chase lizards. Anything can happen with reference to government formation. But at present we can say let’s not count stars which lie beyond.” The meeting comes shortly after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti strongly hinted at a possible alliance with the BJP after meeting the state governor on 31 December, although she refused to confirm or deny the progress of coalition talks, only saying that “any formation that comes into being should be based on mutual respect.” [caption id=“attachment_2026463” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sayeed had met with the separatist leader on Wednesday[/caption] However what is becoming clear, is that a PDP-BJP alliance is looking more likely every day. In fact this Indian Express report quotes ‘sources’ as saying “the PDP would move slowly towards government formation while it prepares its constituency for the “inevitability” of an alliance with the BJP because of the fractured mandate. The PDP’s spin doctors are working hard to give a twist to the visible irreconcilability between BJP’s stated Kashmir agenda and PDP’s political position. The situation has however, led to some discomfort within the PDP, which could also explain the meeting with Bhat. There are some PDP members who believe that the best way forward is to shore up alliances with the ruling party. One newly elected PDP member of the state legislature told _Firstpost_ reporter Sameer Yasir that a coalition would make sense given that the state government was in need of urgent funds for the rehabilitation of flood-hit people and there was a massive need to rebuild the lost infrastructure. However, given that the PDP urged people during its election campaign in many places to vote en masse so as to keep the BJP out of power, some party leaders are wary of a possible backlash among voters in the valley. “The candidates who face tough contests in their constituencies are very worried. It would be very hard”, an unnamed leader was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. There are also those who believe that the very basis of the PDP’s logic for getting into an alliance with the BJP is flawed. Shakeel A Qalander, social activist and president of the business chamber in Kashmir told Firstpost that the PDP is living in a world of denial if the party leadership believes that funds would flow to state in case of an alliance with BJP. “You have a recent example when PM Modi said he had released Rs 1000 crore immediately after the floods, but months later, it turned out that for two months, the money was nowhere. Then the Centre demonized a democratically elected government by saying the money would be send to the accounts of people directly,” he said. Meanwhile the BJP, which has been engaged in talks with the party, has also been stepping up their efforts to seal the deal. According to this report in the Indian Express, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had called up PDP party patron and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed a few days ago to “explore the possibility” of government formation, although the party is refusing to say if anything concrete had come out of it.