The not so natural alliance between BJP and PDP is finally over. On 19 June, the BJP abandoned the Mehbooba Mufti government of Jammu and Kashmir. A meeting convened by the BJP president Amit Shah was attended by all the BJP ministers of the Jammu and Kashmir government wherein the decision of pulling out the alliance was taken. BJP state chief Ravinder Raina and party general secretary in charge Ashok Kaul were also a part of the meeting held in New Delhi. The one of the major cause of this breakup is the immense tension among the ministers and leaders of J&K and the chief minister Mufti’s style of functioning and unilateral decisions.
The differences between the center and the PDP caused the coalition government to fall as the center decided to end the Ramzan ceasefire. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti set her resignation before the state governor N Vohra after BJP pulled out their alliance. The BJP leaders were embarrassed when Mehbooba Mufti talked to the separatists when the center announced the Ramzan ceasefire in order to find a political solution to the bloodshed in Kashmir.
The repetitive terror attacks in past two years caused a lot of distress in the valley which lead to the rise in casualties. No measures were taken to keep a check on terrorism by Mehbooba Mufti in spite center’s full support, BJP alleged. The rights of the citizens were being compromised. Journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside a newspaper’s office in the heart of Kashmir.
The rise in militancy and the speeches by progressive leaders started the polarization in Jammu and Kashmir. The rise of terrorism, violence, and radicalization in the valley put the fundamental rights of the citizens in danger. Even though BJP took a lot of measures to improve the security situation in J&K, the situation only worsened due to the lack of initiatives of the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
The Kathua rape and murder case was the dead end of the BJP and PDP alliance. The local BJP leaders wanted a CBI inquiry whereas Mehbooba Mufti preferred a thorough investigation of the crime by the J&K police officials.
Terrorism and resolution of issues in Jammu and Kashmir were the key agendas of the BJP during the election of 2014. The situation has worsened in the past four years in the valley and on the line of control. The BJP would soon be seeking votes for the 2019 elections and if the situation in Jammu and Kashmir doesn’t improve, the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi being an effective and efficient leader would be ruined. Now with the governor’s rule in the valley, the Modi government would be able to easily implement its policies to tackle various issues of separatism and terrorism.
