PDP failed to restore peace and ensure development, says Ram Madhav.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday pulled out of the alliance with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir, bringing down the state government a year ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The development comes two days after the Centre declared that it was ending the month-long ceasefire it had announced during Ramzan.
Announcing the BJP’s decision, three years after the state government was formed, party national secretary Ram Madhav said it had become untenable for the BJP to continue in the coalition government.
“Keeping in mind that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and in order to control the prevailing situation in the state, we have decided that the reins of power in the state should be handed over to the governor,” Madhav said.
Governor N.N. Vohra’s term is set to finish by the end of the month. The announcement also comes at a time when the Amarnath Yatra in the state is due to begin on 28 June.
‘PDP to blame’
Madhav blamed the PDP, which he called the main leader in the government, for the BJP’s decision.
The state government, he alleged, failed to meet the twin objectives of “restoring peace in the state, especially in the Kashmir valley, and encouraging fast development in three regions of the state”.
It was for these objectives that the BJP had decided to support the PDP three years ago, he added. “Now, terrorism and violence has increased in the Valley, radicalisation is rising and the fundamental rights of citizens, including the right to life and free speech, are in danger,” Madhav said, citing the recent murder of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari in Srinagar.
Madhav also praised the central government for its initiatives in the state.
“The Central government has done whatever the state government sought. We are not questioning the intention of the state government but it has failed to achieve the intended objectives in Kashmir valley. We even appointed an interlocutor for the state to talk with all stakeholders,” he said.
The coalition government in J&K was formed in 2015 after the BJP, which had 25 seats, extended support to the PDP, the then single largest party with 28 seats in the 87-member assembly.
ThePrint had previously reported on the possibility of a split in BJP-PDP alliance.
There was hope when this fire and ice coalition was formed that it could bring the different regions and communities together, that its work would be made easier with a strong government in Delhi improving relations with Pakistan. The two years since Juky 2016 have been a particularly bad period in the state’s history. Kashmir, in a sense, is always under Governir’s rule, so it remains unclear how the collapse of a democratically elected government will improve the situation in the Valley. As and when elections are held in the state – for the last one year, it has not been possible to conduct the by poll in Anantnag and Dr Farooq Abdullah won his seat with 7% turnout – the Congress and the NC will return to power.