“Let us hope and pray that the muscular, militaristic policy does not come back under the guise of governor’s rule,” he said, adding, “Who the next Governor will be is crucial. A hawk as Governor will make the situation worse, Congress leader P Chidambaram said.” (Photo: PTI)
Hours after the BJP snapped its alliance with the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra Tuesday recommended the imposition of Central rule in the border-sensitive state in his report to President Ram Nath Kovind.
A copy of Governor’s recommendation was also forwarded to the Union Home Ministry, according to a Raj Bhavan spokesperson in Srinagar. Kovind is currently abroad. The Home Ministry has been reported to have received the report.
Citing that the situation has become “untenable” for the coalition government, the BJP pulled out from the Mehbooba Mufti government in Srinagar, paving the way for Governor’s rule. “We are saying that continuance in (PDP-BJP) Government had become untenable. The responsibility for this kind of scenario lies with the other side,” BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said after announcing the decision to pull out from the government.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram criticised the outgoing dispensation, saying that the collapse of the BJP-PDP alliance was a “relief” and hoped that “the muscular, militaristic policy does not come back under the guise of Governor’s Rule”.
BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav, in his announcement, blamed his party’s erstwhile coalition partner PDP for its alleged inability in improving the security conditions in Kashmir and cited as one of the reasons behind severing its ties with Mufti’s party that lasted for three years. “It has become untenable for the BJP to continue in the alliance government in the state,” Madhav told reporters at a press conference. Terrorism, violence and radicalism have risen and the fundamental rights of citizens, including right to life and free speech, are in danger, the BJP leader said in a press conference called at short notice.
Mehbooba Mufti, on the other hand, asserted that a ‘muscular security policy’ shall not work for Kashmir and it cannot be treated as an enemy territory. “I submitted my resignation (as J&K CM) to the Governor and told him that we are not looking to explore any other alliance. It took us many months to form an alliance whose prime focus was reconciliation and dialogue. I am not shocked. We didn’t do this alliance for power. This alliance had a bigger motive- unilateral ceasefire, PM’s visit to Pakistan, withdrawal of cases against 11,000 youth. We had always said muscular security policy will not work in Jammu and Kashmir. The state can’t be treated as enemy territory. Reconciliation is the key,” said Mufti.
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— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 19, 2018
“The long-awaited break of the PDP-BJP coalition will be welcomed by all those who despaired that Kashmir may have been lost forever. The muscular, militaristic policy was a disaster from Day One. It is a relief that the opportunistic coalition has collapsed,” stated Chidambaram.
The BJP won 25 seats and the PDP 28 in the 87-member assembly and came together in alliance, two months after the December 2014 elections. The NC has 15 seats, the Congress 12 and others seven.