Non-NDA CMs should jointly write to Modi on Kashmir conflict: Opposition

There is a proposal within opposition ranks that leading non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) chief ministers should issue a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express their common concerns on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, commit their support to the Centre on the issue but also implore upon it the need to engage in a dialogue with all stakeholders in the state.

Some in the opposition ranks have suggested that chief ministers Naveen Patnaik, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Amarinder Singh, Pinarayi Vijayan and others should write a common letter to the PM. This would also signal a cohesive and united opposition voice on the issue, and encompass key political parties – Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United)-Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, the Left parties and Trinamool Congress.

Janata Dal (United) leader, and Rajya Sabha member, Sharad Yadav has also proposed a conference on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He met former PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday. Singh was recently appointed the chairman of the newly constituted Congress Programme Policy Committee on J&K. Yadav has also suggested that the Opposition should invite senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha. The BJP leader currently leads a civil society group that has interacted with stakeholders in the state, but the Modi government is yet to pay any heed to Sinha's efforts.

The Opposition efforts come in the wake of the Modi government ruling out any possibility of dialogue with separatists and other stakeholders in Kashmir. Former Research and Analysis Wing chief AS Dulat and former National Security Adviser MK Narayanan have advocated consultations with all sections of the society in J&K. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is an alliance partner in the state with J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is also averse to dialogue.

According to sources in the government, the Centre has given J&K Chief Minister three months to set the state in order. The Centre will review its strategy after that. Options on the table include imposing President’s Rule.

In the meantime, the Centre is mulling strategies to reach out to the common people and possibly announce more funds for development projects in the state.