SRINAGAR: Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti’s, openly but indirectly censuring BJP and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) over their stance on Article 370 could create serious problems for the two-year old alliance between her Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the saffron party.
Already the BJP has sharply reacted to her charge that those who are asking for abrogation of Article 370 are “anti national”, reiterating that doing away with what it believes is detrimental to the full integration of J&K state into Indian Union continues to be the party’s core ideology.
The local watchers say that both the alliance partners would like to stretch the issue further to charm their respective constituencies without actually allowing their government to face any hangover or consequences of it.
They also see Ms. Mufti’s statement somewhat ‘calculated’ in the backdrop of the PDP’s eroding support base in Kashmir Valley where from it won most of the 28 seats in its tally in the 2014 Assembly elections.
The State Assembly on Tuesday witnessed ruckus after Speaker Kavinder Gupta expunged the Chief Minister’s remarks that anybody demanding repeal of Article 370 is ‘anti-national’.
Amid uproar the House was adjourned thrice. When it reassembled after the first adjournment, the Speaker sought to clarify that he has asked for expunging only ‘anti national’ remark of the Chief Minister.
On a second occasion, he said that he has not expunged anything and that the Chief Minister will clarify her own statement on the floor of the House.
