Separatist leader Massarat Aalam release: Strains in BJP, PDP ties in Jammu and Kashmir
9 March 2015 7:56 AM GMT
BJP conveyed its 'displeasure' to the PDP leadership and ask it to follow the 'coalition dharma'
State BJP chief and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said his party was not even consulted before the decision was taken. (Photo:PTI/File)
Jammu/Srinagar: Strains showed up on Sunday in the week-old Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government over the release of hardline separatist leader Massarat Aalam, with the saffron party attacking the “unilateral” decision and warning that such things would not be tolerated. The BJP said the decision was not a part of the common minimum programme on the basis of which the alliance government is being run in Jammu and Kashmir, but the PDP differed, insisting it was in tune with the CMP.
State BJP chief and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said his party was not even consulted before the decision was taken. Senior state BJP leaders met on Sunday to discuss the issue, he said, adding his party will convey its “displeasure” to the PDP leadership and ask it to follow the “coalition dharma”.
The BJP has taken “very seriously” the “unilateral” decision of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and the party was “deeply hurt”, State BJP chief and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said, about the release of the hardline separatist leader that kicked up a major controversy. He said Mr Sayeed did not take the BJP into confidence before taking the decision to release Aalam. “We had no prior information or knowledge on his release. This is not our decision and we had not given our consent on this,” he told reporters.
“We are not going to tolerate any such statement or any such decision which is not as per the CMP that we had agreed upon. We have decided to convey our displeasure to our partner so that such things do not happen in future,” he said.
PDP spokesman and education minister Naeem Akhtar, on the other hand, said the decision was in line with the CMP that talks about engaging all stakeholders for establishing peace in Jammu and Kashmir. “This (Alam’s release) has to be seen in proper perspective. It is an important part of our Common Minimum Programme to involve all stakeholders in the state, and across the Line of Control, for reconciliation and peace in the state,” Mr Akhtar told PTI.
“If you want to have a dialogue with all stakeholders, which includes these leaders, you cannot engage them by keeping them in jail without anything substantial against them,” he added.
Mr Akhtar said the courts had intervened on the detention of some leaders and set them free. Asked about the opposition by the BJP to Mr Alam’s release, the PDP spokesman said he doesn’t want to get into a public debate on the subject. “They have their own views but I don’t want to enter into a public debate on this issue. This is part of our CMP,” he added. Another PDP leader, minister for science and technology and youth services and sports Imran Ansari claimed the BJP was with the PDP in implementing Mr Alam’s release order.
“I don’t think the BJP has any apprehensions. They are with us. We have a coalition government. I don’t think it is a genuine thing to make any issue of that. The courts have released him and the home ministry implemented that order,” he said.
Jugal Kishore Sharma, on the other hand, insisted: “This step does not have the consent of the BJP. Nor was the BJP consulted before taking such a decision.”
Mr Alam was released on Saturday after being detained for four and a half years over the widespread protests in Kashmir in 2010, in which several people were killed.
“We were not asked before releasing Masarat Alam. If they had asked us, we would not have given approval from our side on this and even today our consent is not with this decision,” the BJP leader said.
“Such people should not have been released as they only spit anti-India venom. If you leave such people like this without any conditions, they will always resort to such (separatist) slogans,” he said.
Asked if the BJP will opt out of the government, he said: “The situation has not come. We will sit with our partner and take a decision (with regard to such issues) so that in future such steps are not taken.”
In New Delhi, the Union home ministry on Sunday said a report had been from the J&K government on the release of Masarat Alam, who has over 15 cases pending against him. Despite being a Sunday, officials of the MHA’s Kashmir division worked overtime to gather all facts from the state government. With the Opposition parties in Parliament already up in arms over J&K chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s statement last Sunday when he credited Pakistan, the Hurriyat and militant outfits for the smooth conduct of elections in the state, the government expects disruption over this development as well when the session resumes after the Holi break on Monday morning.
( Source : PTI )
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