Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Wednesday accused the BJP of misleading Aga Ruhullah and attempting to weaken and break the National Conference (NC).
Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday resigned from his Lok Sabha seat as well as from the National Conference, ending a bitter stalemate and accusing the party leadership, particularly chief minister Omar Abdullah, of betraying its promises to fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, even as the BJP said it had no involvement in the regional party’s internal rift.
Reacting to questions about discontent among 10 MLAs and Ruhullah’s resignation from the MP and the party, Choudhary said the BJP should explain its role, particularly in view of the remarks made by its senior leader Ram Madhav.
“Immediately after Aga Ruhullah resigned, BJP leader Ram Madhav issued a statement saying that all those who attended Aga Sahib’s programme were their people. Then why are you asking us these questions? Go and ask the BJP Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma,” Choudhary told reporters here.
Taking a dig at the BJP, he said the party misled Ruhullah, whom he described as a decent and respectable person.
“Aga Sahib was a good and respectable person. The BJP misled him, and yesterday the BJP itself said that Aga Sahib was their man. I am not saying this; Ram Madhav himself said it,” he said.
Choudhary questioned how Ruhullah could be associated with the National Conference if, as claimed by Ram Madhav, the people attending his programme belonged to the BJP.
When a reporter pointed out that Ram Madhav had ruled out forming a government with Ruhullah, the Deputy Chief Minister asked the BJP to clarify its position.
“If Aga Sahib was your man, then why were you indulging in all this drama? The BJP is always indulging in drama,” he said.
Asked about speculation over a possible new political formation involving former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Aga Ruhullah and MP Engineer Rashid, Choudhary dismissed the question, asking the reporter, “Since when have you become their spokesperson? Since when have you started knowing what they are planning?”
He also urged the media to focus on developments in the rest of the country.
BJP national vice-president Ram Madhav on Tuesday said Ruhullah’s rally in Budgam was held with the blessings of “our people”, drawing a sharp response from the National Conference, which said, “This explained why the lawmaker didn’t have anything to say against the BJP”.
“I would not like to comment on the matter, but the National Conference is visibly divided today. Ruhullah is holding the rally today with the blessings of our people,” said Madhav, who played a key role in the formation of the PDP-BJP government in J&K in 2015-2016.