Click to play video2008 has been a year of electoral surprises and the Jammu and Kashmir has lived up to it. The National Conference (NC) emerged the single largest party in the Assembly poll results on Sunday and the family - Farooq and son Omar Abdullah - look set to lead from the front. The NC took a lead over People's Democratic Party (PDP) which was also very hopeful to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Here is what PDP's president Mehbooba Mufti has to say after the NC won in Jammu and Kashmir:
CNN-IBN: Mehbooba Mufti, do you see yourself now as the number one party of the Kashmir valley?
Mehbooba Mufti: Well, we definitely have improved our tally from the last time and that is a very good indication that people have liked our performance and also the agenda that we had put forward to them. So it is a positive thing.
CNN-IBN: But the feeling is that you have grown by flirting with separatism, soft separatism is what it is being called.
Mehbooba Mufti: The policy we adopted was the healing touch policy, which was appreciated no less by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who for the first time addressed 40,000 people in our tenure. And when he went back he said there is no other policy than the heal and touch policy to deal with the Kashmir situation so if you call that soft separatism that has brought in Jammu and Kashmir then, today 60-70 per cent people came to vote because of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress performance. So, if Muzaffarabad road, trade and resolution of Kashmir problem are called soft separatism then yes we are for that. You can call us by any name.
CNN-IBN: But at the end of the day, it is the National Conference (NC) that has emerged as the number one party in the state and the Congress seems to be inclined to go with them. In the end, you have lost out perhaps in the post poll alliance politics.
Mehbooba Mufti: We very much respect the verdict if the Congress decides to go with the NC then and form a coalition. How can we stop them if they feel like they should do that? But we had a very good coalition going for six year. It was a good experience, it was something that was appreciated not only at the state level but also at the national and international level. It paid huge dividends here and we brought huge changes in the situation. If the Congress thinks they can better their performance with NC then can opt for them. It is their decision.
CNN-IBN: What is your message to Omar Abullah?
Mehbooba Mufti: Whatever role we have to play we have a policy, an agenda to follow. I would say best of luck to Omar Abdullah and at the same time I would also like to request him to take the peace process forward that we had started with the Congress. This will be my message to him.
CNN-IBN: Must ask you one last question. If both you and NC represent the aspirations of the Kashmir valley, why don’t you come closer together instead of moving further apart?
Mehbooba Mufti: I think we are a party with a policy, with a programme and even when we came together with the Congress we had the CMP(Common Minimum Programme). We don’t come together just for the sake of power, so we have an agenda to follow and I don’t think our agenda is something which the NC will be comfortable with.
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