Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik’s decision to dissolve the assembly on November 21 is facing severe criticism. Many public intellectuals have called Malik’s decision unconstitutional and accused him of acting on the directions of Modi administration in New Delhi that had appointed him as valley’s governor earlier this year.
“The conclusion of the governor that opposing political ideologies cannot put up a stable government was ‘not credible, “ said Former Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Acharya.
Mallik’s recent decision has pushed the state in another political crisis. The state has been staring at political uncertainty ever since PDP and BJP ended their alliance in June this year and Centre enforced Governor’s rule to bring down the Mufti government. Malik’s decision came soon after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, with the support of National Conference’s Omal Abdullah and Congress, claimed to have 56 MLAs on her side in the 87-seat J&K assembly.
Mallik has been accused of partisan behavior for rejecting Mufti’s claim of forming stable country in the state on the basis of People Conference’s leader Sajjad Lone’s claim of forming a stable government with the support of BJP and other alliances and revive the legislative assembly in the state that has been in suspended animation for months now.
BJP is leaving no option to stop PDP, Congress and NC to come to power. BJP leaders have called PDP-NC-Congress alliance, which is threatening BJP’s prospects in the valley, as unholy. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav went as far as alleging involvement of Pakistan in backing the alliance of these opposition parties to take on the BJP. He later retracted his statement after Omar Abdullah challenged Madhav’s claims and ‘dared’ him to prove his allegations.
I dare you @rammadhavbjp ji to prove your allegation. You have RAW, NIA & IB at your command (CBI too is your parrot) so have the guts to place evidence in the public domain. Either prove this or be man enough to apologise. Don’t practice shoot & scoot politics. https://t.co/KEbOo0z6O2
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 22, 2018
The PDP, the NC and the INC appear to have prepared a firm association which could be fruitful to form the state government. PDP, a dominant political party in the valley and the National Conference having influence in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh along with the Congress party are reasonably optimistic of forming a coalition government in the state. It is apparently making the BJP nervous.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has already confirmed the talks and the latest developments also approved the three parties’ concerted efforts to form the government.
Meanwhile, the BJP failed to poach Congress and NC members to raise enough members and amass the needed majority. PDP has 29 legislators in the 87-members state assembly while the Congress has 12 and NC has 15. This number suitably places them well ahead of the majority mark of 44.