#dnaEdit: A political tango

The formation of a government in Jammu and Kashmir could not have been done in a hurry. Understandably therefore, the parties concerned, took weeks to hammer out an agreement.  It took a lot of talking to each other behind closed doors before the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah could announce the breakthrough on Tuesday, finally paving the way for a coalition government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. The terms of the agreement will be spelled out in the common minimum programme (CMP), but the broad outlines are discernible. The contentious Article 370, from the BJP’s point of view, will not be disturbed. The issue of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which is the most important question from the PDP point of view, is sought to be handled through some kind of phasing out. There is also the issue of recognising the refugee status of families from Pakistan and Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These are however not going to be the make-or-break clauses of the agreement though they could be turned into one if there is a rift. At the moment, Mufti and Shah are exuding optimism. 

The underlying politics of the alliance is the more interesting and the more crucial part of the deal. Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, the ‘patron’ of PDP and the one who will take over as Chief Minister, succinctly outlined the issues at stake, maintaining that the two regions of the state — Kashmir, represented by PDP and Jammu represented by the BJP — will cooperate and stay together. Sayeed stressed that the state cannot be “trifurcated” on the basis of region and religion. Kashmir Valley is overwhelmingly Muslim, Jammu is predominantly Hindu while the Ladakh region is Buddhist. Sayeed emphasised that despite offers from the National Conference (NC) and the Congress, the only viable alliance in the state could be forged by the PDP and the BJP. Sayeed’s statement is a clear acknowledgement of the need for the government to reflect the diversity of the whole state. Mehbooba Mufti talked about keeping in mind both the interests of the state as well as those of the country. She is mindful that the PDP will have to carry with it the “troubling” elements in the Valley, including the Hurriyat. Sayeed also referred to the need for “reconciling with Pakistan”. 

In realpolitik terms, the PDP and the BJP are prickly partners, whose worldviews are diametrically opposed to each others’. Compulsions of the political situation, where no one has a clear and simple majority in the state assembly, have forced them to come together. It is indeed a sign of political maturity that the two parties and their leaders have recognised this complicated reality. The differences, though papered over for the time being, remain.  It would be necessary that the two sides to go easy on to the contentious issues in the initial days — if not months — of governance. The two parties seem to accept the fact that they have to deal with the delicate political and cultural  diversity of the two major regions in the state. It is not clear whether the PDP would want to spread its political footprint in Jammu as well to make it truly a party representing Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP however would want to win over the confidence of the people of the Valley. And the party perceives, in its presence as a substantial partner in the state government, an opportunity to work on this agenda which it would like to further through its twin slogan of development and good governance. It would take two to tango. And the PDP and the BJP have made clear their intentions to engage in that dance.