Senior BJP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta Saturday said his party wanted eradication of militancy in the Valley, asserting that "any person who is involved in anti-national activity has to be killed".
Gupta congratulated the people of Uri township of north Kashmir's Baramulla district for defying the poll boycott call and threats of terrorists by turning up in large numbers in the third phase of the ongoing local body elections.
"A militant is a militant and his killing by Army forces is commendable," he said in a statement referring to the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Manaan Bashir Wani.
Wani, who was pursuing PhD in Allied Geology at Aligarh Muslim University, was killed in an encounter along with his associate in Kupwara district on Thursday. He had quit studies and joined the ranks of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in January this year.
Referring to a statement by Mehbooba Mufti, Gupta said, "She can do anything to please her patrons, the Hurriyat leaders."
"But the BJP is in favour of eradication of militancy from the state of Jammu and Kashmir and any person who is involved in anti-national activity has to be killed and our Army is doing a commendable job in this regard," he added.
Immediately after the killing of Wani, PDP president and former chief minister Mufti had said the PhD scholar-turned militant preferring death in an encounter over life should make political parties realise the gravity of the situation and facilitate dialogue with all stakeholders to end the bloodshed in the state.
"Today a PhD scholar chose death over life & was killed in an encounter. His death is entirely our loss as we are losing young educated boys everyday," she wrote on her Twitter handle.
Gupta also negated with the idea of dialogue with Pakistan over Kashmir.
"Pakistan is no party in the internal matters of India and the Union government is capable of resolving the internal matter," he said.
Instead, Gupta said, the regional parties of Kashmir should come forward and help in restoring peace and "this could only be possible if the people of Kashmir participate in the ULB and panchayat elections so that the real development is witnessed in all parts of the state".
Congratulating the people of Uri township for their participation in large numbers in the third phase of ULB polls, he said they have shown their faith in the Indian democratic system and thus contributed to strengthen the democracy at grass-root level.
"The people defied the boycott and bandh (strike) call of Hurriyat, the NC, the PDP and the CPI (M). The participation of the people in the ULB and panchayat elections in the poll process is must for overall development of their respective area," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)