Cong asks BJP to apologise for alleging Pak hand in alliance formation
Questions party’s association with Sajad Lone
Srinagar, Nov 22: State congress president G A Mir Thursday asked the BJP to either apologise or make public the evidence on its allegations that the PDP-Congress-NC alliance was formed at the behest of Pakistan.
“You (the BJP) are in the government, you have all the institutions, the CBI, the NIA, the IB, the Governor and the RAW. Prove (the allegations) before the country if you have any proof or else you have to apologise,” Mir told reporters here.
The JKPCC president said the BJP was in the habit of making false allegations and labelling others, who do not support them, as anti-nationals.
“This has become the BJP’s habit that those who support it are nationalists and those who do not support its wrong principles and policies are dubbed as anti-nationals and pro-Pakistani. Who has given you this right?” Mir asked.
The Congress leader also questioned the BJP’s central leaders about their association with Sajjad Gani Lone.
Mir said he wanted to ask the BJP “when did the combination it was pursuing and the person (Lone) whom it was projecting got de-linked from the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI.
“Have you taken a certificate for him?” he asked.
“When someone supports you and praises you, you think he is a nationalist, otherwise not. When you make such allegations against a mainstream party, which has members elected under the constitution, the country will question you,” Mir said.
The JKPCC president also questioned the BJP on its allegations that the NC-PDP-Congress combination did not represent the Jammu and Ladakh regions of the state, saying the ruling party “surrendered” before the Kashmir-centric parties for forming government in the state.
“You talk about Jammu and Ladakh. If this combination (NC-PDP-Congress) would have been allowed, it had an equal composition from the two regions. Did you (BJP) propose a single candidate as a chief ministerial candidate when you got majority in Jammu region? Or, did you propose a chief ministerial candidate for any combination?
“You (BJP) surrendered before a Kashmir-centric party (PDP) for forming the government and even now your plan (for forming government) was via Kashmir (with Lone). I would have appreciated you, had you shown any courage and brought forward a BJP face from Jammu,” he said.
Mir added there were no regional concerns for the Congress as all the three regions were same for it.
“We have the representation from all three regions of the state. I question you (BJP) why don’t you declare a CM face from Jammu to be the party’s chief ministerial candidate,” he said.
On Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik’s decision to dissolve the assembly, Mir said the decision was “undemocratic”.
“The governor took the decision in a hurry and in a non-democratic manner which has cast aspersions on his institution and his administration as well as the whole system of the country,” he said.
He accused the Governor of “facilitating” the Lone-led combination’s attempts for government formation by keeping the Assembly in suspended animation for long.
“Perhaps, there was some design and the governor was facilitating this combination and waiting with a red carpet for it. This combination visibly had less than 30 MLAs along with the BJP. Wherefrom would they have got the numbers?” Mir asked.
“It is a common knowledge that they were targeting other mainstream parties like PDP to break them. The governor was directly as well as indirectly facilitating that,” he said.
Mir said the three parties – NC, PDP and the Congress – had come together for the interests of the state specially at a time when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was under threat.
Asked if the Congress would take a legal route to challenge the Governor’s decision, the JKPCC president said while his party would not do so, it would support the PDP if it decides to do so.
“We will support the PDP completely if it chooses to take the legal course of action,” he said.
