CM’s appeal to separatists, Pakistan, her view: BJP

Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 30

The BJP has dismissed Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s peace appeal to separatists and Pakistan as her own view, saying the party sticks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement of dialogue within the ambit of the Indian Constitution.

“Who is Mehbooba Mufti to take a different call on state affairs when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his meeting with a delegation of opposition parties, had clarified India’s stand on Kashmir?” said Ashok Koul, general secretary (organisation) of the state BJP.

Koul said the BJP followed the principles of the Constitution of India and was headed by Modi. “When he has said to hold talks with segments and people who come under the Constitution of India for dialogue, the statement of the Chief Minister is irrelevant,” said Koul.

Jammu for India dismissed the BJP’s claim. “Nobody takes the BJP seriously. It has no credentials since its anti-Jammu and pro-Kashmir obsessions after taking over in an alliance with the PDP,” said JFI chairman Hari Om.

He said Mehbooba, after meeting the Prime Minister said in New Delhi, had said she was for an institutional mechanism for talks with separatists and Pakistan.

He said she had favoured trilateral talks between India, Pakistan and Kashmiri separatists as the only way out. She should have been sacked by the Prime Minister there and then, he said.

A senior BJP leader admitted on the condition of anonymity that the party would pretend not to be on the same page as the PDP, but would clandestinely support its alliance partner on the issue.

“The late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, after becoming Chief Minister, had started his first media address by thanking Pakistan, terrorists and separatists for successful elections and the BJP had approved of it. The situation is the same now and the BJP has no other option,” he said.