'Amit Shah's comments against PDP-led govt vindicate Congress stand'

Jammu and Kashmir state Congress chief GA Mir said on Sunday BJP president Amit Shah's comments about the "failure" of the Mehbooba Mufti regime to ensure equitable development and the deteriorating law and order situation only vindicated his party's stand.

Mir, however, suggested that even after BJP pulled out of its alliance with the PDP, there could be a tacit understanding between the two parties.

Every party except PDP and BJP support dissolution of the state assembly. The two erstwhile coalition partners are interested that the House should not be dissolved. They cannot be trusted, Mir told reporters here. Responding to a question on whether he felt the BJP and the PDP could come together after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mir said such a possibility could not be ruled out.

Given the ground situation, they were aware that people have rejected them. You saw one dramatist yesterday and the second party will also come out in due course. May be they are holding such a thought. These two parties are silent (on the demand for dissolution of the assembly) while the rest of the opposition have given their view point to the governor, he said. 

Mir said the BJP and the PDP were responsible for the imposition of governor's rule in the state. The governor rule is a time-gap arrangement and once the situation improves, a political process should start, he said. 

The Congress asked Governor NN Vohra during the recent all party meeting if any political party was interested in forming the government, Mir said. If any political party has not given it on record, then there is no need to keep the assembly in suspended animation to end the chances of horse-trading, he added. 

The Congress ruled the country for the last 70 years and shared power with regional parties in the state but never allowed such a situation to take shape as has happened over the past three and a half years under BJP rule, he said.

Mir said if Congress was voted to power, the party will give priority to peace and ensure equitable development of all the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to BJP president's comments blaming PDP for lack of development especially in Jammu and Ladakh, discrimination and lawlessness, the Congress leader claimed Shah had come to the state to admit the failure of his government in an honourable manner. 

His statement might have left the people of Jammu disappointed. He had come here to seek forgiveness and beg we have failed to do justice with your mandate, Mir said claiming the decision to withdraw support from the government may just be a political move with an eye on next year's polls.

Why don't you tell the people that we made Jammu and Kashmir a platform to go to the voters as we don't have any other positive to show them, Mir said targeting the BJP and the PDP.

Continuing his attack, he claimed that only till recently the BJP, which was in power at the Centre and in the state, was making tall claims that what could not be done over the past 70 years had been achieved.

Despite being in power, he (Shah) was speaking the language of opposition party. It is time for us, for the people of Jammu, to seek answer from them, Mir said. Rhetoric would not help the BJP and they cannot "hoodwink" the people of Jammu and Kashmir anymore, he alleged.

"When the state government was formed and at the oath ceremony, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a statement is made to thank another country (Pakistan by the then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed). If you had withdrawn then, we would have believed that you are a nationalist. Over the past three and half years, anti-national decisions were taken one after another but you did not withdraw support, Mir said attacking BJP.

The state Congress chief claimed the BJP led regime was lacking any policy on Jammu and Kashmir and the growing graph of violence, border firing, was the result.