Sringar--Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said on Sunday that the alliance between his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP was the “biggest example” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “inclusive” and “long term vision” for India.
“Some tough decisions will have to be taken on the economic front (by the PM), and there is no option but to be inclusive,” he said in an interview to The Indian Express here.
“Mr Modi is inclusive,” he said, “and the biggest example of that is the PDP-BJP coalition. He understands diversity.”
Sayeed said as chief minister, his mission was to make a real difference by bringing about reconciliation — between India and Pakistan; Delhi and J&K; Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits; and the regions of the state.
“I would like Kashmir to become a bridge between India and Pakistan,” he said.
Less than three months after his government was sworn in, Sayeed is facing criticism in the Valley. Preoccupied in the initial weeks with the controversy over the release and re-arrest of separatist leader Masarat Alam, and then over Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement that there would be separate “townships” for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, his government is seen as not having begun the task of delivering governance to the people.
Srinagar is still recovering from last year’s flood, and people are struggling to pick up their lives once again. The inadequate distribution of government assistance to flood victims remains a sore issue, as the state awaits central assistance.
Declining to comment on the prospects of this assistance, Sayeed said that providing rehabilitation to the people was a challenge for his government. “Yes, this is a great test for me, my ability and my competence,” he said, adding that it was “also a great opportunity to reconstruct” Kashmir.
Indian Express
