Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday lashed out at the Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir for taking a political stance that could weaken the “national foundation”.
He was reacting to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah’s allegations that chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was downplaying an incident of anti-India sloganeering by a group of women at a function in Srinagar on Tuesday.
“I dread to imagine what lies @MehboobaMufti tells PM Modi in private when she can’t even be honest about things everyone can see videos of,” Abdullah wrote on Twitter.
Springing to the defense of the party’s coalition partner, Madhav, without naming Abdullah said the Opposition leader’s statement seems to reflect his “happiness” at the incident.
Madhav’s statement assumes significance as it comes amid reports of a rift between the BJP and the PDP.
Though he clarified that he was not aware of what transpired, Madhav, who was credited with shaping the agenda of alliance with the PDP and is in-charge of the state, appeared critical of the Opposition’s role.
“When I saw his statement, he was so happy. He was saying this lady (Mufti) is lying, actually there were anti-India protests…I don’t know what happened, but if this kind of politics is practiced it is tantamount to weakening the national foundation of this country,” the BJP leader said.
{{/usCountry}}“When I saw his statement, he was so happy. He was saying this lady (Mufti) is lying, actually there were anti-India protests…I don’t know what happened, but if this kind of politics is practiced it is tantamount to weakening the national foundation of this country,” the BJP leader said.
{{/usCountry}}His comments came a day after the PDP government denied that slogans were raised, claiming instead that chaos had broken out at the function at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) after a woman had fainted and water could not be given to her.
The NC has been demanding governor’s rule in the state, accusing the BJP-PDP alliance government of failing to administer the state, which has seen a spike in violence and terror incidents.
While the Opposition has also joined the chorus demanding a dialogue with the separatists, Madhav has asserted that the BJP will not talk to the Hurriyat or those who do not believe in solutions within the ambit of the Constitution.
Madhav had last week asserted that the Centre will pursue a tough stance against militancy in the state and “neutralise” every single militant in the Valley.
On Wednesday, he reiterated that there was plenty of scope for pursuing different political ideologies in the country, but added that they have to be “defined by Indian Constitution”.
“The challenge is to keep the national foundation intact. No effort should be made to weaken the national fabric of this nation; whether it is helping political gains or (by those who) genuinely believe that they should destroy this nation. This is not acceptable,” he said.