NPP demands Governor's rule in J-K

Amid the ongoing parleys over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Panthers Party (NPP) on Sunday demanded Governor's rule in the state and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has aligned with the Kashmiri leadership to exploit the people.

"The meeting which is taking place today to discuss Farooq Abdullah's National Conference's next offer to PDP is another fraud on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The only way out is to impose immediate Governor's Rule there," NPP president Bhim Singh told ANI.

"The treachery is not only because of the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir. The leadership in Delhi is also responsible. It was Congress, which remained a friend of the National Conference for nearly 50 years that inspired the people of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh," he added.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti will today chair the first formal party meeting, expectedly to discuss the future course of action and ties with ally BJP over the government formation.

This is the first time that the PDP is meeting to discuss government formation ever since the death of then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under President's rule since January 9 as neither PDP nor their ally in power BJP has staked claimed for forming the state government.

The meeting has been called against the backdrop of reports that Mehbooba is unhappy over a variety of issues with BJP, a party with which Mufti ran a coalition government for 10 months after tying up in the wake of a hung verdict in assembly elections.

The PDP has 27 MLAs while BJP has 25 legislators in 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

The BJP had earlier said that the PDP has to make the first move by electing its legislature party leader before they can extend their support for government formation in the state.