SRINAGAR:After drawing wrath of the National Conference and separatist groups for his remarks on the settlement of West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) in the state, senior leader and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig, on Sunday stoutly defended talks with the BJP on government formation, saying if a government cannot be formed with the saffron party, then they should sit in the Opposition or go for fresh polls.
“In my view, the PDP-BJP alliance will remain stable only if there is good faith and agreement on the issues mentioned in the Common Minimum Programme,” Baig said in a statement here.
He is said to be holding informal talks with the BJP on government formation in J&K where no party got a clear majority in the 87-member Assembly, elections to which were held recently. Soon after the declaration of poll results on December 23, the PDP and the BJP began informal talks to form the government. The talks revolved mainly around the contentious issues like Article 370, Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), settlement of West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) and holding dialogue with the separatists and Pakistan.
“I am of the view that there are some within and outside the state who keep on opposing the party. How can a person expect them, who abhor the very existence of the PDP, to garland us for the good decisions we take. These people will find fault even if they are offered paradise on earth,” said Baig, who was elected from the Baramulla-Kupwara seat.
As far as the formation of the government with the BJP is concerned, he thinks party patron Mufti Sayeed and party chief Mehbooba Mufti should seal a deal only on the basis of conviction and not compulsion. “If they are convinced that such a tie-up will be in the interests of the state, politically and economically, they should go ahead. Big questions will necessarily involve resolving Kashmir issue in a democratic and constitutional way through dialogue. If the leaders get going, then they should not be deterred by detractors,” Baig said.