Srinagar, May 11: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been confronting, almost routinely, its ruling partner Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since the two joined hands for what is often described as an ‘unholy alliance’ in Jammu and Kashmir.
The latest is the BJP’s opposition to the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s announcement of appealing New Delhi to enforce a unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir in view of Ramadan and Amarnath pilgrimage.
She had made the announcement after an all-party meeting convened by her to discuss the growing crisis in Kashmir Valley.
Just a day after the meeting, the BJP rejected it, saying, “Her decision wasn’t in the nation’s interest.”
The issue has put both the coalition partners at the loggerheads with members of both the parties taking on each other.
“Their objection won’t matter when the decision is for the people’s welfare and accepted by all others parties,” the PDP spokesperson Rafi Ahmad Mir said.
Prior to it, the Chief Minister had to face embarrassment on the Kathua rape and murder case in which she supported Crime Branch investigation, which was again opposed by the BJP.
On February 14, after a group of people led by a BJP leader took out a protest in favour of an accused Hindu police official in the case, the CM tweeted: “Appalled by the marches & protests in defense of the recently apprehended rapist in Kathua. Also horrified by their use of our national flag… this is nothing short of desecration.”
Following public outrage, Mufti reportedly forced two BJP ministers to resign from her cabinet.
However, later Chaudhary Lal Singh, former Forest and Ecology minister, reorganized rallies and demanded resignation of the Chief Minister.
“Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti must take responsibility of the incident and quit,” he had said.
Earlier this year in February, the BJP also snubbed Chief Minister for calling a dialogue between India and Pakistan to end the civilian casualties in cross-border firing and militant violence.
The BJP called a press conference by its spokesperson Sunil Sethi who took on Chief Minister by saying that “amidst the sound of bullets and missiles and spilt blood, a certain class is advocating for talks between Pakistan and India and advocating that latter must take forward step for it”.
“It is not at all suitable at the time when Pakistan is openly supporting militants for carrying out attacks in the state and especially when the slain militants who attacked Sunjwan military station hailed from across the border,” he has said.
Since the last two years of Chief Minister, Article 370 has been constantly debated between the coalition partners, with both expressing divergent views on the issue.
In 2017, Mufti said that the “anybody weakening Article 370, which grants special status to the state, will be doing the biggest anti-national act.”
The statement was responded differently by the former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh then who asserted that Article 370 has caused harm to Jammu and Kashmir and called for abrogation of the provision.
“The Article 370 has done more harm than anything. The BJP had set 44 plus target in last state assembly elections which the party could not achieve and got only 25 seats. If we would have got 44 plus, things would have been different,” Singh has said.
The BJP asserted that Article 35-A of the Constitution, which grants special status to the State is “not a sacred cow that cannot be touched“.
In 2016, soon after when Mehbooba Mufti took over as the Chief Minister of the state, controversies started between BJP and PDP over issues of Sainik Colonies and abrogation of Article- 35 A.
On the floor of the house, the Chief Minister said that the state government had no proposal for Sainik colonies and the exclusive colonies for migrated Pandits.
However, BJP continued supporting the idea of settling Kashmiri Pandits in transit accommodation and setting up of Sainik colonies.
“BJP is in favour of setting up Sainik Colony in Kashmir as well as resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits. If a Sainik Colony can be set up in Jammu, why not in Kashmir?” BJP National Secretary, Shrikant Sharma, has said.
