BJP quashes speculation about possible changes in JK status

SRINAGAR: Quashing speculations over possible changes in the status of Jammu and Kashmir UT, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that “nothing is happening”. Speaking to The New Indian Express, senior J&K BJP leader and former deputy CM Kavinder Gupta said that these speculations are just rumours. “There is no such possibility, these are just rumours,” Gupta said.

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s recent visit to New Delhi to meet with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Home Secretary AK Bhalla have led to these speculations which were further intensified after the arrival of more paramilitary forces in the Valley.

BJP spokesperson Arun Gupta, while rejecting the speculations said,”This is just grapevine and nothing else.”

Another BJP leader said that J&K has already been bifurcated on August 5, 2019 and now there can be no more split or division. 

Statehood to Jammu, splitting of three south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian from Valley and adding them to Jammu region and division go Kashmir into two UTs are some of the rumours making rounds. 

Chairman of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said,”We have also heard these rumours but we don’t know much about them. Whatever they (Central government) have to do, they will do. We hope they will keep our future safe.”

While the rumour mills have kept the leaders in the Valley guessing, those in Jammu have upped their demands of statehood for Jammu.

According to a security official, about 50 paramilitary companies have arrived in the Valley and more are expected to reach here in the coming days. “About 200 para companies had left J&K for deployment in poll-bound states. These are retuning to the Valley and their deployment is at the same level before that of the assembly polls,” he said.