KL Report
DELHI
A top BJP leader Thursday told a select group of journalists that there is no case against Kashmiri separatist leader Masarat Aalm Bhat and the party is not supportive of ideas to keep people detained for perpetuity against law of the land. The reporters were invited for an informal interaction in New Delhi to dispel the apprehensions that Mufti Sayeed led J&K government was playing with the “national security”.
“Mufti is the only hope in Kashmir and he truly believes in reconciliation,” the leader said. “If somebody dubs him an anti-national, then there is no Indian living in Kashmir.”
Requesting media to avoid creating a “rhetoric” which has no basis, the leader said he and the government has gone through the file of Masarat Aalam. “There is no case against him and BJP will never like to go Congress way and use extra-constitutional and illegal ways to keep people in jails.” He said that even if Alam was a stone-pelter “he has already got his punishment by remaining imprisoned for such a long time.”
The leader said the Congress has created a massive crisis in J&K by imprisoning people under fake cases and using laws like Public Safety Act (PSA) to incarcerate people. “Congress believes above law but BJP follows the law,” he said.
BJP leader’s “informal” interaction coincided with party’s general secretary Ram Madhav having a detailed interaction with Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed at Jammu. To manage the media-triggered fallout on Masarat, PDP had decided to send a key leader to meet BJP in Delhi. It was cancelled at the last moment as Madhav decided to fly to Jammu personally. He had a detailed meeting with Mufti.
