No point of staying in alliance with party that shows partiality towards Jammu: Amit Shah

Jammu: BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday defended the party’s stand on severing ties with former coalition partner PDP and said that they don’t have any regret towards the decision since it was unacceptable to work with a party that discriminates with Jammu and Ladakh.
In an attempt to consolidate public support after the fall of the government in J&K, Shah said that Modi government made several efforts towards the overall development of the state but partiality towards Jammu and Ladakh continued. “That’s when we decided that we should rather protest in opposition,” he told a rally to mark “historic martyrdom anniversary” of Mookerjee.
Explaining the rationale behind the BJP-PDP pullout, he said that the decision was taken in nation’s interest and there was no point to stay in power if the goal of equal development is not achieved. Shah alleged that PDP showed discrimination towards the Jammu and Ladakh region.
He also said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the BJP will never allow it to be disintegrated from the country. We will never allow Kashmir to get disintegrated from India. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country,” Shah said.
It was the BJP president’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the collapse of Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP alliance. He arrived in Jammu Saturday. The BJP chief’s visit to the strife-torn state happens to be coinciding with the death anniversary of right-wing idealogue Shyama Prasad Mookerjee death anniversary. He said that if Jammu is connected to India today, it is only because of Mookerjee.
On Wednesday, Shah had remarked that the decision to sever ties with the PDP had nothing to do with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He had blamed “pressure groups” in the state for stalling BJP’s efforts for an ‘equitable’ growth in all three regions (Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh) of the state and cited worsening law and order situation in the Valley for its decision to walk out of the PDP-led government.
“The balance in development which should have been there among the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh did not happen and there was also this (worsening) law and order situation,” he was quoted as saying by PTI, citing the reasons behind his party’s decision.
Before addressing the rally, Shah reviewed the party’s preparations and strategy for the Lok Sabha election due next year. “The BJP president chaired several meeting and reviewed organisational functioning, preparations for the forthcoming LS polls and its strategy,” a senior BJP leader was quoted as saying by PTI. The top leadership of the party’s state unit briefed the BJP chief about the political situation after the imposition of the governor’s rule. Shah was also briefed about the forthcoming programmes of the party J&K in view of Lok Sabha polls.