Amid visible concerns within the BJP about recent developments in Jammu and Kashmir, the party leadership on Saturday defended its decision to form a government there, even as it stopped short of doing a review of its near-rout in Delhi assembly polls.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who was involved in negotiation with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made a presentation to party’s national executive members, giving details of the process through with the party could arrive at a common minimum programme (CMP) to run the government.
“Through the presentation we tried to convey to the national executive members that the party had a ‘nationalistic’ intention behind forming a government in Jammu and Kashmir,” commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters.
A BJP leader present in the meeting said Madhav argued that the BJP did not compromise on its core agenda and a CMP was finalised to run the government.
Madhav even argued that it was for the first time that the BJP has come to power in the state and the CMP was not out of sync with the party’s interest in Jammu and Kashmir.
A BJP leader present in the meeting said Madhav argued that the BJP did not compromise on its core agenda and a CMP was finalised to run the government.
Madhav even argued that it was for the first time that the BJP has come to power in the state and the CMP was not out of sync with the party’s interest in Jammu and Kashmir.
Abrogation of Article 370, which provides special status to J&K, which is a core ideological issue for the RSS and the BJP, does not find a mention in the CMP and the BJP is often accused of compromising on that issue to form government.
“The mandate (in J&K) is known... BJP wanted the government deficit should go and development politics to replace it... Even the conventional parties realised that,” finance minister Arun Jaitley said.
The ruling party, which faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, however, stopped short of reflecting on the reasons behind the election result.
“You can not succeed all the time,” Jaitley said, even as he dismissed that there was any lack of coordination between the government and the party.