Alliance partners Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have once again locked horns over the issue of handling current phase of ‘unrest’ in Kashmir Valley.
The alliance partners hit the first roadblock when PDP candidate Abdul Qayyum Dar failed to win legislative council polls despite arriving at an understanding with their alliance partner to give him the safe passage.
PDP labelled it as ‘back stabbing’ while the BJP celebrated the victory as three of its candidates managed to secure berth in the Upper House of the State Assembly.
In protest, lone PDP candidate skipped the oath taking ceremony, sending loud signal that all is not well within the alliance partners.
The second provocation in the form of statement by a senior BJP Cabinet Minister Chander Parkash Ganga further exposed the fault lines as he suggested that the stone pelters in Kashmir should be dealt with bullets.
The timing of the statement triggered strong reactions from the PDP camp forcing Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to take a fresh review of current political situaiton.
At the national level two key players — Ram Madhav, National General Secretary BJP and PDP’s candidate for Anantnag lok Saba Seat Tasaduq Mufti, younger brother of Chief Minister — also added fuel to fire by issuing provocative statements during the same period.
In a recent interview to a national daily Tasaduq Mufti had claimed, “Systems have broken down and there is perhaps little regard for the credibility of our (J&K) Government in Delhi. But I am sure that sooner or later, Delhi will have to respond to the crisis on the ground.”
In another interview when a broadcaster quizzed Ram Madhav to comment on the recent ‘jeep video’ where a local Kashmiri boy was tied to a jeep to prevent stone pelters from attacking security personnel he concluded by saying, “One can try and take a moral position on what he did was right or wrong. In a war and in love, everything is fair.”
His remarks too had infuriated valley based PDP leadership who again issued a statement advising Ram Madhav not to defend the indefensible.
“One fails to understand against whom Madhav has declared war! Is it a war declared against Kashmiris who despite all odds casted their votes reaffirming their belief in democracyIJ Or it is a war declared to satiate the sanguine electoral interests of a particular political party in the country,” PDP’s Education Minister Syed Mohd Altaf Bukhari questioned.
Though top brass is keen on cementing ties and prevent bickering the second rung leadership in both the parties are going off track without paying heed to the party discipline.
Meanwhile, Ram Madhav visited Jammu and attended separate meetings with Deputy Chief Minister Prof Nirmal Singh, Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu and DGP SP Vaid as part of damage control exercise. He later called on Governor VV Vohra at Raj Bhawan.
State BJP in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna also attended these meetings and discussed the current political developments with the State unit leadership.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the Kashmir situation with senior Ministers in New Delhi. BJP National President Amit Shah is also scheduled to visit the state next week
Commenting on day long hectic meetings State BJP president Sat Sharma maintained that Madhav visited the winter capital in view of a forthcoming visit of party president Amit Shah on April 29 and 30.
Another senior BJP leader who was present in the party headquarters maintained the alliance partners are having some serious differences and certain developments have aggravated the situation.
Meanwhile, Raj Bhawan spokesperson in a statement said, “BJP national general secretary (Ram Madhav) discussed security environment related issues with the governor and the initiatives under
consideration for hastening the developmental process
and promoting peace and normalcy.”