Aditya Sinha: BJP sings Mehbooba, Mehbooba

The late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed towards the end told daughter Mehbooba that come what may she had to continue their Peoplersquos Democratic Party PDP alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP She would obviously lead the alliance since she was a fullfledged politician in her own right installing her as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir had been Muftirsquos final ambition Delhi mdash which has always been an interfering suffocating repressive presence in Kashmir more so here than in other states mdash would have been happy to be Mehboobarsquos junior partner After all it was as a part of Muftirsquos alliance the BJP ruled JampK for the first time in the Sangh parivarrsquos history since the time of Bharatiya Jan Sangh BJS founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee the BJSBJP have only known agitational politics in JampKChallenges ahead President of PDP Mehbooba Mufti with brother Mufti Tasaduq offer special prayers for their father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed PicPTIYet Mehbooba has not rushed into power One reason is that the BJP kept her father hanging after the last assembly election for over two months results were declared on December 23 2014 the government was finally formed on March 1 2015 It is only fair that Ram Madhav and Amit Shah are similarly kept on the edge of their seats Her delay has led to speculation that shersquos thinking of changing partners particularly after Congress President Sonia Gandhirsquos highprofile visit to grieve with Mehbooba after Muftirsquos death Itrsquos also given Farooq Abdullah and his National Conference NC a chance to flash a little thigh at the BJP in case the latter was looking for a new partner in JampKIf Mehbooba takes over however she cannot ditch the BJP First the already fragile relationship between Kashmir where the PDP won its seats and Jammu which voted overwhelmingly for the BJP would come under perilous strain if there was a government that did not also represent Jammursquos interests Second if the BJP is not in a JampK government then Delhi would be uninterested in maintaining stability in the Valley and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have less reason to continue seeking peace with PakistanIn the interregnum Mehbooba can tackle the challenges she faces as she takes over her fatherrsquos party Mufti was the partyrsquos founder of the senior leaders Mehbooba is one among equals even if during the 2002 assembly election Mehbooba did the groundwork in building the party like visiting the families of slain militants mdash it got the PDP the mantle of ldquosoft separatismrdquo but also enlarged the number of voters Being one among equals it will take time to stamp her authority on the partyDespite Muftirsquos assurance that he would ldquomanagerdquo Delhi his governmentrsquos popularity eroded tremendously in 2015 Not just because Delhi reneged on promises like the package for relief after the 2014 floods but also because of the disdain Modi shows towards Kashmirrsquos political grievances ldquoFor the first time Kashmiriyat itself is under threatrdquo a wellknown PDP dissident told this columnist In Muftirsquos last public appearance with Modi at Srinagar in November the CM gently advised the PM to improve ties with Pakistan ldquoI donrsquot need advice from anyonerdquo Modi brusquely said and a month later Mufti was in hospital dying Ironically Modi abruptly began to engage PakistanMuftirsquos government had become so unpopular that since Eid there was constant talk of toppling it by a combination of PDP dissidents with the NC These dissidents remain in the party and Mehbooba must show she can manage them Also there were ministers who earned a poor reputation they were making hay while the sun shone possibly expecting the government to be shortlived If Mehbooba expels them they destabilise her from outside if she keeps them in the ministry they will compromise her authority and if she keeps them but clips their wings they will create trouble for her from the insideBut dealing with her own party pales in comparison to dealing with the BJP Official Delhi does not trust her The intelligence agencies who have managed Kashmir from the beginning do not trust her For example in April 2003 when Prime Minister AB Vajpayee was in Srinagar where he famously extended his ldquohand of friendshiprdquo to Pakistan Mufti as CM joined him on the dias but Mehbooba was not allowed mdash she was seen with suspicion for her links with separatists The distrust remainsNational Security Advisor Ajit Doval was a pal of Muftirsquos and played a significant role in helping the alliance take shape Yet no matter how positive he and Mehbooba are the comfort and trust level cannot be the same Managing turbulence will be difficultIt is certain that Mehbooba will be the next CM of JampK though for how long is unknowable No wonder NC president Omar Abdullah was on TV saying he was happy to sit in Opposition during ldquothe life of this assemblyrdquo What he likely meant was ldquoCall me Mr Modi call merdquoJournalist and writer Aditya Sinha is the coauthor of Kashmir The Vajpayee Years He tweets autumnshade Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom