Srinagar
In a clear reiteration that the BJP was neither attempting breaking its erstwhile ally PDP or trying to form a new government in the troubled state, BJP President Amit Shah has defended party’s decision to end the unworkable alliance.
“Absolutely wrong,” Amit Shah told Loksatta Editor Girish Kuber who asked him if it was true that the BJP was trying to engineer defections in the PDP to form a government with a breakaway group. “We have no intention of forming any such government in J&K.” The interview was published by the Indian Express.
Shah, however, defended his party’s decision to end the alliance. Shah said allying with PDP was not a mistake. “Our intentions were good, we wanted overall development of the region. But it didn’t work. We have already talked about the reasons why the alliance failed there,” the BJP president said.
When asked that BJPs attitude towards J&K is “only Hindu policy” and the party’s concern about Jammu and Ladakh, Shah said: “Every good government’s duty is to do more for the regions that are underdeveloped. If we were seen as doing more for Jammu, etc., then it’s basically to compensate them for years of neglect… The BJP is trying to correct historical wrongs that have taken place in the handling of J&K right from Independence. Jammu and/or Ladakh have been left way behind due to faulty policies (of the past governments). We are just correcting those. If any party is to be accused of being partial, it should be the Congress, which is responsible for this skewed development of the region. It’s (Jawaharlal) Nehru’s legacy. Hamein wo musibaten virasat mein mileen (We inherited those problems).”
