Mehbooba: only chief spokesman authorized to speak to press Saturday, 27 December Caught in a catch 22 situation with some influential leaders within the party strongly opposing an alliance with the BJP and others favouring the tie-up, Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti Saturday said the party has authorized only the chief spokesman to articulate the views in the media on the policy matters. In a statement issued to the press, Mehbooba, who represents the party in the lower house of the Indian parliament, said: only the PDP chief spokesman Mr Naeem Akhtar is authorized to articulate the party’s views in the media on the policy matters. The step comes after conflicting view points in the press had floated about the partys alliance with the right-wing Hindu nationalist party. Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, one of the senior party leader, had recently met BJPs national general secretary Ram Madhav and spoken in favour of the alliance. Beigh had later told the press that he met Madhav in his personal capacity and wasnt articulating partys viewpoint. Mehbooba made it clear that the statements of the chief spokesman should be taken as the stated position of the party on various policy issues. “In the prevailing hazy political scenario, unqualified comments in the media only add to the confusion and fuel wild speculations,” she said and added that as a responsible political group PDP will take not only its cadres but the people of the state on board before arriving on any decision regarding the future course of action. The PDP stand on safeguarding Article 370, which guarantees special status to Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian union, had led to a deadlock with the BJP which managed to get 25 seats in the recently held elections. The fractured mandate with PDP short of majority has led to several speculations since the results were declared on Tuesday. “I want to assure my party cadres and the people that whatever decision is to be taken will be taken in the larger interest of the State and its people,” she said and added that the mandate given by the people to the PDP to represent the political aspirations and economic interests of all the regions and sub- regions of Jammu and Kashmir would be represented and valued in adequate measure.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 10:16:24 +0000