In what was clearly a bid to douse fires in the Valley, the board, led by governor N N Vohra, “gave up’’ claims to the land allocated to it by a cabinet decision. With daily demonstrations in Srinagar, chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, despite being favourably disposed to giving the land for use of pilgrims, found himself boxed into a corner. The break with the PDP looks final and the Azad government will be looking to stitch alternative support in the assembly which if it does not materialise, can pave the way for polls. The government, in consultation with the Centre, felt it prudent to do what it could—in this case retreat on the land allocation—to try and restore normalcy.
    The fallout for both the Congress and the PDP will not be easy to manage. The decision to give up the land gives the BJP an immediate issue to collar the Congress both at the state and the national level. With assembly polls nearing, the reaction in Jammu could hurt the Congress which relies on the region to send most of its MLAs.
    PDP leaders Mufti Mohd Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba are facing flak despite having pulled out of the government. Their attempt to ride separatist sentiment by disowning a decision their ministers were a party to has not gone down well.
    Sources said Azad has sought a week’s time from the governor to prove his majority in the assembly and was confident of gathering the required numbers. The Congress is possibly looking for a split in PDP ranks along with the support of independents and the Panther’s Party. The Congress has a tally of 34 MLAs, including 11 associate members in a House of 87. Earlier in the day, Azad said his government faced no danger as it had the required number of MLAs. “I have more than the numbers. Why are you talking about 44, why not 60,’’ he said. <<back