Mehbooba calls on Sonia; Resolve to strengthen coalition

New Delhi, Sep 19 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti today called on UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and resolved to strengthen the coalition in the troubled state for restoring lasting peace.

''The PDP and the Congress, during past four years, have created conducive and feasible environment in the State for the peaceful resolution of its problems and return of normalcy,'' Ms Mufti said.

Ms Mufti conveyed her party's approval for the resumption of the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan after the Havana meet.

Both the leaders expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the four-year-old Jammu and Kashmir coalition government, which was recently rocked by a political crisis due to differences between the alliance partners.

The crisis erupted on August 30 when Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad refused to divest his deputy and PDP's Muzaffar Hussain Baigh of the important portfolios of Finance, Planning, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, as desired by the PDP high command through a letter.

The move had angered PDP leaders, including patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Ms Mufti.

The PDP leadership had decided to ''cut down to size'' Mr Baigh in the wake of his utterances, for lavishing praises on Mr Azad and describing him as the ''towering leader'' of Jammu and Kashmir, and also for ''ignoring'' the party agenda.

Though it was the Chief Minister's prerogative to allocate portfolios to his Ministers, the PDP leadership was of the opinion that in the case of a coalition government all the ruling partners have to be taken into confidence and he cannot use his discretion against the wish of a major ally.

However on September 3, the crisis blew over with the resignation of Mr Baigh from the state cabinet as desired by the PDP. He was also removed as the leader of the PDP legislature party.

Mr Baigh resigned from the Cabinet so as not to destabilise the coalition government, drag the PDP and the Congress into a collision course or thrust mid-term elections on the people.

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