INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The failure of ceasefire during Ramzan, law and order and "discrimination" to Jammu and Ladakh are behind the BJP's decision to
pull out of the alliance with Mehbooba Mufti, senior party leader Ram Madhav said today
Asked why the BJP decided to dissolve the alliance now, Mr Madhav said, "I have said why we pulled out now
There's no other concern".Announcing the end of the alliance at a press conference, the 53-year-old national general secretary of the
the citizens and free speech are in danger in the Valley".To solve the situation in Kashmir, "keeping in mind the larger national interest
and that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, we have decided it is time that the reins of power in the state be handed over to
the Governor," he added.The tie-up between the two parties, whose ideologies in some areas are diametrically opposite, had been shaky at
Made necessary by the fractured verdict in the 2015, their differences had surfaced over a number of issues, including the Centre's
package for the state, the proposal to scrap the Armed Forces' Special Powers Act, which grants sweeping powers to the army in
insurgency-hit areas, the Kathua case where two BJP ministers supported the alleged attackers of the 8-year-old girl, PDP's promise of
government decided to resume anti-terror cordon and search operations on Sunday
There had been a spike in terror attacks since the peace initiative was announced, but the killing of veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari on
the eve of Eid made the choice clear."After killing of Shujaat, there was no question of not continuing terror ops
It was obvious we could not have asked for extension we came to conclusion that present scenario cannot be handled by present government at
this juncture," Ram Madhav said, without mentioning the PDP misgivings about the decision to end ceasefire.Stance towards separatists had
been one of the key differences between the two parties since beginning
While the PDP favoured a soft approach, the BJP was vehemently against the idea.Sources said the PDP, at whose insistence the Centre had
agreed to the month-long ceasefire, had been extremely upset about the decision
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, whose brainchild it was, had seen the ceasefire as an outreach to the separatists, in view of the prevailing
mood of the Valley.Ram Madhav said, "Our expectation was that the separatists, Hurriyat would understand this this was our goodwill gesture
But there was no outreach from them
That's why decided to stop the suspension".
