Jammu & Kashmir: Idea of a grand coalition sent BJP jitters, says Mehbooba Mufti

The very idea of a grand coalition in Jammu and Kashmir has given the BJP jitters, former chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday night after the dissolution of the state assembly by the governor.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. (File Photo: AP)

SRINAGAR: The very idea of a grand coalition in Jammu and Kashmir has given the BJP jitters, former chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday night after the dissolution of the state assembly by the governor. Former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Governor Satyapal Malik's decision to dissolve the assembly "cannot be a coincidence" as it came within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti staking claim to form the government. Mehbooba tweeted, "In my twenty six year old career as a politician, I thought I had seen it all! But like they say never say never! Nevertheless, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to @OmarAbdullah and @Ambikasoni4 ji for helping us achieve the seemingly impossible." In series of tweets, she said since the past five months, regardless of political affiliations, "we shared the view that the state assembly be dissolved immediately to avert horse-trading and defections". "Oddly enough our pleas fell on deaf ears. But who would have thought that the very idea of a grand coalition would give such jitters," she said. She also said in a lighter vein that "In today's age of technology, it is very strange that the fax machine at HE Governor's residence didn't receive our fax but swiftly issued one regarding the assembly dissolution." Abdullah said his party had been pressing for dissolution of assembly for the last five months. "JKNC has been pressing for assembly dissolution for 5 months now. It can't be a coincidence that within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba letter staking claim the order to dissolve the assembly suddenly appears," Abdullah tweeted minutes after the governor's decision to dissolve the state assembly. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad said while the talks for formation of a popular government were in its infancy, the BJP government at the Centre was so worried that they dissolved the state assembly. "It is clear that BJP's policy is either we or nobody," Azad told PTI. Former BJP leader and former union minister Yashwant Sinha said the dissolution of the assembly was the latest example of the BJP to not let anyone form the government even if that meant bypassing the Constitution. The Jammu and Kashmir governor on Wednesday night dissolved the state assembly, which has been in suspended animation, shortly after rival alliances staked claim to form the government. Governor's rule was clamped in the state on June 19 for a six-month period following the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government after the saffron party withdrew support. The state assembly was also kept in suspended animation so that political parties could explore the possibility of forming a new government.