Admitting that BJP will have a major impact in Jammu region during the coming assembly elections, senior PDP leader and parliament member Muzaffar Hussain Beigh Sunday said that PDP’s post poll alliance issue at present would be a ‘premature idea’.It is not BJP as such that could impact the polls in Jammu but the Modi effect would be visible. It was after the arrival of Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate that revived BJP in the Jammu region. We can only say that during the coming elections, BJP will do well in Jammu,” Beigh said while talking to KNS.
Ridiculing the Hindu CM debate, triggered earlier by BJP and one of the senior Congress leaders, Beigh said that the Chief Minister with the decisive mandate shall be elected by the people of Jammu and Kashmir irrespective of religion. “Religion cannot be the basis of electing the chief minister of the state. It is against the constitution according to which India is a secular country.”Beigh also said that the Congress minister who made the Hindu CM remarks was compelled to do so due to BJP’s affect in the Jammu region. “I know Sham Lal. He is a nice person but he was compelled by the circumstances to make such remarks as the situation in Jammu favors BJP,” said the PDP MP, adding that he had requested publically the state Congress chief Saif-ud-din Soz to issue a rebuttal.
Over the post poll alliance with any party for the government formation, the former deputy chief minister termed it a ‘pre mature idea’, saying ‘chicken is yet to come out of an egg’. Claiming that alliance should be based on principles, the PDP veteran who won North Kashmir during the May Lok Sabha elections this year stated that when the PDP allied with Congress in 2002, same was based on a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and the party would never undermine its founding principles.Refuting the recent statement of the chief minister Omar Abdullah that PDP and Congress didn’t support him for the AFSPA revocation, Beigh said that the PDP both in and outside the assembly has raised the issue of AFSPA revocation. “When we were in government, we met the prime minister, defense minister for the AFSPA revocation. Out of the government, Mufti sahib even wrote a detailed letter to the prime minister over the issue,” he said, adding that PDP demands that at least, the draconian law must go from the places were militancy related incidents are not being witnessed.
The former deputy chief minister also maintained that the support of NC veteran Dr Mehboob Beg for PDP in South Kashmir would further strengthen the party base in the area and that his farewell to NC would be possibly over the differences on principle. “Dr Beg even in NC was considered as a mature voice. I hope his support would benefit the party,” he said, adding that scores of people both from Congress and national conference are parting ways from their respective party folds and are joining PDP. “Some join on the basis of principles and some join as they are disgruntled with their parties.”
Claiming the PDP would be the number one party with maximum seats in its kitty after the coming assembly elections, Beigh stated that people across the state are eager to witness change in governance so that their sufferings could end at the earliest.Muzaffar Beigh also gave wide berth to the emergence of the ‘Third Front’ on valley’s political landscape, saying the emergence of such Front was also heard in 2004 and also during the tenure of the chief minister Omar Abdullah. “I really have no knowledge who really are in a Third Front and wherefrom are they contesting and what is their target.”