Alliance with PDP necessitated by ‘developmental politics’: BJP

Seeking to allay concerns in the party over alliance with PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP's national executive on Saturday dwelt at length on the issue, underscoring that "conventional positions" would not have met the developmental aspirations of the people of the state. A special briefing on its partnership with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led party, for which BJP put several key issues including Article 370 on the backburner, was made by the party's General Secretary Ram Madhav during the concluding day of the meeting and the decision received "complete endorsement" of the national executive, senior party leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. There has been a sense of unease in the BJP over the alliance, more so after Chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed credited Hurriyat, militants and Pakistan for smooth polls in the state.