In this episode, I share the hitherto untold story regarding the decisive role I chanced to play in enabling Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of PDP in becoming the chief minister of J&K in 2002 by leading the coalition government after the 2002 state assembly election.
I myself am puzzled by how easily and graciously Mrs Sonia Gandhi accepted my reasoning to let Mufti Mohammad Sayeed lead the coalition government in J&K even though PDP won only 16 seats as against 20 of the Congress party and 28 of National Conference in the 2002 state assembly election which did not yield the majority to any party.
The NC was more than willing to have a coalition with the Congress party which would have reduced PDP to a side show. But my intervention with Mrs Sonia Gandhi changed the fortunes of PDP and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed…
Do I regret that intervention in the light of subsequent events?
Would the disgraced NC's return to power have produced better results…???
