Mehbooba Mufti Resigns As CM; BJP Demands Governor Rule In Jammu & Kashmir
|In a 27-minute press conference, presided by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Ram Madhav, the party announced that they are officially pulling out of their three-year-old alliance with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Minutes after this announcement, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti submitted her resignation to Governor Narinder Nath Vohra, said senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar.
End of the shaky alliance
“It has become untenable for the BJP to continue its alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir, hence we are withdrawing,” BJP general secretary Ram Madhav announced.
The BJP leader further added, “Terrorism, violence and radicalisation have risen and fundamental rights of the citizens are under danger in the Valley. Shujaat Bukhari‘s killing is an example.”
Terrorism, violence and radicalisation have risen and fundamental rights of the citizens are under danger in the Kashmir valley. Despite support from the Central govt, PDP failed to control the situation : Shri @rammadhavbjp pic.twitter.com/2HEb5n82GU
— BJP (@BJP4India) June 19, 2018
Along with the announcement of disassociation, Ram Madhav went on to say that all the BJP ministers in the J&K government would resign and the party wanted governor’s rule to be imposed in the state.
“We had to respect the mandate of the people. If we would not have formed govt at that time, Governor’s rule or Presidential rule would have been imposed in the Valley. We had an alliance with them just for the mandate that was given by people,” said Ram Madhav in a tweet.
We had to respect the mandate of the people. If we would not have formed govt at that time, Governor's rule or Presidential rule would have been imposed in the Valley. We had an alliance with them just for the mandate that was given by people: Ram Madhav, BJP pic.twitter.com/NRYIp6V0iW
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2018
He further said that the Central government had done all that could be for the development of the state. He said that the Home Minister had visited the valley from time to time. “It pains me to say that those who are more in control of the government could not achieve these objectives,” he added.
“Because the whole government does not belong to the BJP, there was a sort of discrimination which the people of Jammu and Ladakh were experiencing,” he said. He added that BJP leaders were facing many problems with PDP workers regarding developmental work in the valley.
PDP & BJP did not see eye to eye
According to reports, PDP and BJP were not in complete agreement regarding the Central government directive of a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan. Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari and Army jawan Aurangzeb were killed in separate attacks on the same day, last week.
Previously, the two parties have publicly blamed each other for massive mob violence and the rising militancy in Kashmir. In April, when two BJP leaders along with Hindu Ekta Manch took out a rally in support of the accused rapists in the eight-year-old Kathua rape case and demanding a CBI enquiry, PDP threatened to pull out of the alliance with BJP.
Congress’ Reaction
With this announcement, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad took a dig at BJP. “We are glad that BJP has accepted its mistake. When Congress had formed a government in Jammu and Kashmir, we had reduced terrorism. But right from the moment BJP had come to power in Jammu and Kashmir, we had said that the state was on the path of destruction,” he added.
“During the rule of this government, the most number of ceasefire violations took place along the border,” Azad said.
“Today, after destroying the state, BJP cannot just run away from its responsibilities by pulling out of the alliance with PDP,” he also said, reported Firstpost.