Srinagar:BJP national president Amit Shah on Saturday blamed former ally Peoples Democratic Party for what he said was “inequitable governance” in the state, as the saffron party continues to justify its decision to break off its three-year-old alliance with Mehbooba Mufti’s party.
In his first visit to the state after the BJP pulled out of the state government, causing it to collapse, Shah claimed that PDP’s bias toward Kashmir ensured that the two other regions suffered from neglect despite the central governments “liberal funding” for development projects.
“We pulled out of the government because Mehbooba Mufti-led govt failed to ensure equitable govt of all three regions of the state. It failed to ensure equitable development in Jammu and Ladakh, besides its failure to restore peace in Kashmir,” Shah said at a public rally here.
Shah asked the Congress to apologise for the statements of its senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saifuddin Soz on Kashmir and dared it to take action against the two leaders.
He claimed the Congress began “showing its true colours" once the state government collapsed.
"Everyone feels that some day soon, elections will happen. While BJP raises slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', the Congress also started showing its true colours in anticipation of elections.”
"Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad made a statement that I cannot even repeat here. And immediately after it, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) supported that statement," Shah said.
Azad had said that "the Indian Army was killing more civilians than terrorists" in Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah asked the Congress to explain the reason behind shared views between LeT and one of its senior leaders.
Also slamming a statement by Congress leader Soz that former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was right in saying Kashmiris will prefer to be independent, he said that the BJP will never let it happen, and Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and it can't be changed.
He asked the Congress to take action against the two leaders and also apologize to the nation for their statements.
The BJP announced it was withdrawing from the J&K government earlier in the week, forcing former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign.
Earlier in the day, Shah reviewed the party’s preparations and strategy for the Lok Sabha election due next year.
Shah reached the winter capital this morning for a day-long trip.
The BJP chief was accorded a rousing reception with party’s youth wing taking out a bike rally from the airport to the state guest house.
“The BJP president chaired several meeting and reviewed organisational functioning, preparations for the forthcoming LS polls and its strategy,” a senior BJP leader said.
Shah chaired the election committee meeting of the party to discuss the issues for the next election, he said.
The top leadership of the party’s state unit briefed the BJP chief about the political situation after the imposition of the Governor’s rule.
The leaders have briefed him about the forthcoming programmes of the party in J&K in view of LS polls and also gave him elaborate briefing about the current programmes in the state. With agencies