Pulled out as PDP govt ignored interests of Jammu, Ladakh: Shah
New Delhi: On his maiden visit to Jammu after the J&K government collapsed, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah lashed out at Mehbooba Mufti government. He said, "The development was never balanced. We decided to not be a part of such a government and better to sit in the opposition benches. How can we let a government run that does not let Jammu and Ladakh develop?"
Shah added that the Mufti government had deliberately not worked for the development of the region while, "The Centre had released Rs 2,100 crore to build a ring road in Jammu and Srinagar each, but while work started in Srinagar, the road in Jammu is in limbo. The government did not even lay the foundation stones for AIIMS in Jammu."
Shah was on a day-long trip and while addressing a rally to mark the historic martyrdom anniversary of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, he also mentioned that maintaining peace and ensuring the development in all three regions of the state were part of agreements. But, peace did not prevail. The BJP president also asserted that the party does not regret the fall of its government with PDP as the party is of 'patriots'. "Last year when I came to J&K, we were in a coalition govt. Today, President's rule is imposed here since we took back our support. Political parties regret when their govt falls but BJP is the only party which raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. It shows BJP's patriotism," Shah said.
Making a scathing attack on Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Shah said, "I cannot even repeat what Azad said. He speaks and soon gets the support of Lashkar-e-Taiba." Earlier last week, Azad sparked a controversy when he said Army operations in Jammu and Kashmir killed more civilians than terrorists. Reportedly, in an emailed statement, LeT spokesman Dr Abdullah Ghaznavi quoted chief Mahmood Shah saying they agreed with Azad.
BJP observes June 23 as Mookerjee's 'Balidan Diwas'. Meanwhile, Shah also chaired the party's election committee meeting to discuss the issues for the both impending Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2019.
