Apni Party not BJP’s ‘B’ team: Ram Madhav

New Delhi : A day after former minister and leader in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Altaf Bukhari launched a new political outfit, Apni Party, in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said it reflected an “expression of their desire for normal political activities in the Valley.”
He also dismissed suggestions that Mr. Bukhari’s party was a “B” team of the BJP. “There is a large section of political dispensation in the Valley which has been longing to resume political activities. We only see this new development as an expression of their desire for normal political activities,” said Mr. Madhav.
“For the BJP, we always wanted normal political activities in the Valley too. But our focus will be on expanding our footprints as BJP. I don’t want to comment on the prospects of the new party. We as BJP will continue our activities in the Valley,” he said.
The statement also comes on a day when a joint statement by the opposition signed by many leaders, including Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury demanding the immediate release of three former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who have been incarcerated since August 5, the day the Union government moved a Bill rescinding Article 370.