Mohit Kandhari   

BJP disowned its initiative, commitment to Agenda of Alliance, says PDP chief

A day after BJP chief Amit Shah tore into former ally and PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti, the “ousted” Chief Minister hit back at her detractors and lamented that the BJP disowned its own initiative.

“Many false charges have been levelled against us by our former allies. Our commitment to the Agenda of Alliance, co-authored by (BJP national general secretary) Ram Madhav (and) endorsed by senior leaders like (Union Home Minister) Rajnath (Singh) Ji never wavered. It is sad to see them disown their own initiative & label it a ‘soft approach,’” Mehbooba said in a series of tweets.

Addressing a “Balidan” diwas rally in Jammu on Saturday, Shah had launched a scathing attack against the PDP chief. He not only accused her of “discriminating” against Jammu and Ladakh regions but also held her responsible for failing to control the “deteriorating” law and order situation in Kashmir valley leading to the killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari and the kidnapping and brutal murder of Army jawan Aurangzeb.

Countering Shah’s charges, the PDP president said the measures taken by her Government to restore confidence on the ground were “recognised and endorsed” by the BJP. “Status quo on Article 370, dialogue with Pakistan & Hurriyat were part of AoA (Agenda of Alliance). Encouraging dialogue, withdrawing cases against stone pelters & the unilateral ceasefire were much needed measures to restore confidence on the ground. This was recognised & endorsed by BJP,”she tweeted.

Slamming her former alliance partner, Mehbooba said the allegations levelled by Shah had no basis in reality. “Allegations of discrimination against Jammu & Ladakh have no basis in reality. Yes, the valley has been in turmoil for a long time & the floods of 2014 were a setback, therefore needed focused attention. But that does not mean that there was any less development elsewhere,” she said.

Mehbooba asked the BJP to review the performance of their own Ministers, who, she said, never talked about the ‘discrimination’ at the State or Central level.

Talking about the State Government’s handling of the sensational Kathua rape-murder case, she said it was her duty not to hand over the case to the CBI and issue orders not to harass Gujjar and Bakarwal communities in order to provide a sense of security to them.

“Not handing over the rape & murder case to the CBI, getting the pro-rapist Ministers removed & also issuing orders not to harass the Gujjar & Bakarwal communities in the guise of anti-encroachment drives were my duties as CM to provide a sense of security to both communities,” she said.

The former CM also hit back at the BJP over their senior leader and MLA Chowdhary Lal Singh’s ‘threat’ to Kashmiri journalists and asked what was the party going to do about him. “After expressing concern about freedom of expression in J&K following Shujaat’s murder, their MLA, notorious & even punished for his role in the aftermath of the unfortunate Kathua case, still threatens journalists belonging to the valley, so what are they going to do about him?” she asked.

The Congress and the National Conference also launched a coordinated attack against the BJP. While the Congress alleged the BJP wants to polarise voters, the NC said BJP is befooling people of Jammu and Ladakh regions.

Courtesy: Pioneer: Monday, 25 June 2018