Mehbooba's Delhi visit ups hopes of renewed parleys with BJP

Srinagar, March 21 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti's decision to visit New Delhi on Monday fueled hopes in Jammu and Kashmir that channels of communication with the BJP have been once again opened.

Sources in the PDP said Mehbooba Mufti is flying to New Delhi on Monday afternoon.

The sources, however, would not say whether the visit has been prompted by revival of the broken parleys between the PDP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on formation of the new government in the state.

Senior PDP leader and former state finance minister Haseeb Drabu left for New Delhi early on Monday along with Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, former political advisor to late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.

These developments have renewed hopes in PDP circles that fresh channels of communication have been opened with the BJP. The talks had broken down after Ram Madhav, the national general secretary of the BJP, said no conditions would be accepted from the PDP prior to government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.

What has added to the hopes of renewed parleys between the two alliance partners is also the statement of union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday that the BJP was firmly committed to the "agenda of governance in J&K".

Meanwhile, reports here said senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha member Muzaffar Hussain Baig has been engaged in hectic efforts for the last three days to end the deadlock over government formation in the state.

Baig has all along been advocating the continuation of his party's alliance with the BJP, and has said that it is in the best interests of the people of all the three regions of the state.