Mufti cannot pull out of JK govt: Dr Abdullah

Jammu, Oct 28: Blaming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the failure of the state government, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) patron Farooq Abdullah said the greed for power would never allow PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to pull out of the coalition.

Dr Abdullah, during his appearance at a chat show of a local cable TV network, expressed surprise over the way the coalition government was functioning in the state. ''This marriage of inconvenience has proved a failure and I have no doubts in my mind to say that the experiment has turned out to be fatal for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,'' he said.

While referring to the repeated threats by the PDP to pull out of the coalition government, he said, ''What is stopping them to pull out? It is their own greed for power and nothing else.'' In his suggestion to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the NC patron said, ''Let them (PDP) go if they want and let people decide their fate.'' ''Threats, threats and threats is what we have been hearing since the last three years. Ministers of the PDP are directly responsible for the failure of the coalition government in the state,'' Dr Abdullah added.

Terming the ongoing situation in the state regrettable, Dr Abdullah said the state was going through a crisis of power, unemployment and a lack of accountability. ''We are badly facing power crises which have not allowed industrialists to come over and set up their units in the state,'' he said.

Referring to the ensuing Assembly elections, the former Chief Minister said the NC would go to the people with its policies and programmes.

''We have faith on people and we would not make hollow promises and try to win elections by befooling them.'' Over the issue of troops redeployment, the NC patron said the PDP was making an issue out of it for deriving poitical mileage.

''We also want that the troops be relocated immediately from the interior areas of the state, and also if the government wants to win over the hearts and minds of common people,'' he asserted.

UNI