Tuesday, Oct 22, 2002
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2002 |
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By Shujaat Bukhari
Deliberations, which had remained inconclusive on Sunday, resumed at a luncheon meeting at Mr. Sayeed's residence. Besides Dr. Singh, the Kashmir Congress president, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and senior PDP leaders, Mehbooba Mufti and Muzaffar Hussain Beig, were also present. The issue of Chief Ministership, which has emerged as the stumbling block to government formation, continued to dominate the discussions. Sources said that a suggestion — put forth by the mediators in the past few days — that a high-power committee be constituted as a parallel to the Cabinet which could be headed by the PDP president, was also turned down by the party. "No headway was made and the PDP remained adamant in securing the top post'' sources said. After the hour-long meeting, Dr. Singh said he was going to Delhi with some suggestion made by the PDP. Asked whether the deadlock had ended, he said "there was no deadlock and the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. We discussed all the issues. Mufti Sahib made some suggestions and we also put forth some suggestions. I will inform the party high command about this. It would not be appropriate for me to make any comment on the conclusion of the talks before the high command takes a decision.'' Dr. Singh did not agree that the talks had failed. "I cannot say that the talks have failed. We will like to resolve the issue as a soon as possible and form a government,'' he said. The PDP vice-president, Muzaffar Beig, also sought to give the impression that the talks had not failed. "Today's meeting was a courtesy call. Certain things were discussed and it is not appropriate for me to disclose them... There was never a deadlock. Talks cannot break easily and they can never fructify easily,'' he said. Earlier in the day, Dr. Singh called on the Governor, G. C. Saxena, at the Raj Bhavan. He was accompanied by Mr. Azad.Dr. Singh met the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party chief, Bhim Singh, who has extended conditional support to the Congress. The eight-member People's Democratic Forum of independents and the CPI (M) also met Dr. Singh. The forum supports Mr. Azad for Chief Ministership. The forum has also proposed that some important Cabinet berths and the post of Deputy Chief Minister be given to the PDP — probably to Mehbooba Mufti — in lieu of Chief Ministership to the Congress. Sources said the PDF, with the full backing of the Congress, had agreed to institutionalise the Deputy Chief Minister's post with some important powers. However, the Mufti had rejected the offer.
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