SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: The
BJP has sought the resignation of its ministers in the coalition J&K government with an aim to recast its representation in the wake of two ministers resigning over the
Kathua rape-murder case. Some of the incumbents might be replaced with new faces.
BJP sources clarified that initial reports that party is pulling out its partnership with PDP were incorrect and said the exercise pertained to a restructuring of its presence in the state government. The party is expected to make fresh recommendations and functionaries and said the PDP-BJP is intact. “There is no danger to the government but resignation is being made to pave way for the reshuffle,” a senior BJP leader said.
He said the recast of BJP’s representation in the ministry became necessary when PDP inducted Mehbooba Mufti’s brother Tassaduq Hussain Mufti and Javaid Mustafa Mir as cabinet ministers raising the strength of the party’s ministers to 12, including the CM. After the resignations, as order issued by the J&K government said
Nirmal Kumar Singh remained the deputy chief minister. The resignations will allow the party to induct fresh faces and retain previous ones based on their performance.
The exercise, however, will be watched keenly as despite cooling of tensions in the wake of PM Narendra Modi’s sharp condemnation of the rape and murder of the 8-year-old Kathua victim, ties between the allies remain strained due to recent events as well as issues building up over time.
BJP leaders feel PDP has targeted it in the manner in which the Kathua incident led to a volley of charges against the saffron party over “communalising” the crime. J&K CM
Mehbooba Mufti while condemning attempts to support the accused and demonstrations in their favour, did not look to assure sentiments in
Jammu that the probe in the case will be fair.
While BJP sees the statements of PDP leaders as condemnatory with no effort to appeal for calm or to bring communities together, it feels there was an attempt to play on the divides. BJP leaders admit the party was slow to see how local sentiments were spiralling out of control but argue the two ministers who had to quit for supporting protests in favour of accused had actually been instructed to dampen passions.
The manner in which PDP put out arguments against the demand for a CBI probe, by arguing the agency has failed in sensitive cases in the past, was seen to be partisan. The CBI cases referred to were where claims and charges levelled by separatists were found to be untrue.
