Srinagar, Dec 22 (RNA): After days of ‘unrest and discomfort’ within the camp, the Peoples’ Democratic Party leadership has finally something to cheer about as congress has shelved the offer of five former PDP legislators- including four former ministers- to join the party. The move comes in the backdrop of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s New Delhi Visit where she reportedly had urged top leaders of BJP and Congress to help her in controlling the dissent in her party.
Regional News Agency (RNA) has learnt from sources that another faction in the ‘dissent ridden’ PDP led by its former Finance Minster and renowned economist Dr. Haseeb Drabu has opened channels of communication with congress and was mulling to join the National Party. Sources privy to the developments told RNA that Drabu has been lobbying hard to get an entry into the congress along with five other former PDP legislators. Though Congress- as per sources- has remained non-committal as yet, sources said a senior Congress leader in New Delhi has been intensely lobbying on his behalf. RNA has learnt from Congress Sources in New Delhi that the point man who was a minster in Manmohan Singh government is an old friend of Drabu and has been perusing the project with Party high command. If sources are to be believed, Dr. Drabu has also forwarded a list of at least five former PDP legislators to the Congress High command through the point man who- he claimed -were willing to cross over along with him. According to Sources these include three former ministers and a former MLA including Chuadary Zulfkar, Advocate Ab. Haq Khan, Javid Mustaf Mir and Shah Mohamamd Tantray .
The development- according to sources- came after BJP government reportedly shelved the idea of appointing Dr. Drabu as chairman Economic Commission of India (ECI) as was according to sources promised to him. RNA has learnt from sources that the former Finance Minster had got an assurance that he would be appointed as Chairman of ECI by the second week of December but when Drabu sensed that the project of granting him the coveted Post was shelved, he started thinking of re-entering into politics. Pertinently, Drabu had conspicuously distanced himself from active politics after being dropped from Cabinet by then Chief Minster Mehbooba Mufti earlier this year. Sources say, the main reason behind his –distancing from active politics- was that he was assured the post of Chairman in ECI by New Delhi and when that didn’t materialize, he re-started his efforts for re-entering into active politics by mulling to join Congress along with four other former PDP legislators.
The Congress camp in New Delhi however, seems not so enthusiastic about the proposal and was likely to turn it down though efforts were still afoot to convince the high command. A Senior Congress leader in New Delhi told Regional News Agency (RNA) that Mr. Drabu was the Chief Architect of PDP-BJP alliance in 2014 when Congress along with National conference had offered ‘unconditional’ Support to Late Mufti Mohamamd Syed and his party believes that it was Dr. Drabu along with few other PDP leaders who played a spoil sport in favour of BJP. He added that now he has turned to an old time friend in Congress- who was an influential minster – in Dr. Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet- to seek an entry into the party which wasn’t acceptable to a majority of party top leaders. Another senior Congress leader in New Delhi has revealed to RNA, that for now, the project seems to have been shelved due to strong opposition within the party both at State and Central level and consequently there hasn’t been any forward movement with regard to the proposal. He however, expressed apprehension that this could impact the decision of other five former PDP legislators also to rethink about their political future other than PDP.(RNA)
