India ka DNA Conclave 2019: Partnership with PDP was a compulsion, says Ram Madhav

BJP's Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Ram Madhav said on Wednesday that the alliance with the PDP was a compulsion, as the people of Jammu would have been disappointed that BJP could not come to power even after voting them into 25 seats.

Madhav was speaking at the ZEE Conclave at Taj Palace Hotel in Diplomatic Enclave in the capital, close on the heels of his party pulling out of the partnership in the restive state. He reminded the audience that this was not first time that parties with divergent ideologies had come together, saying that the VP Singh's government was formed with BJP and Left support.

"It was not an easy alliance," he said, adding that BJP wanted to respect the mandate given by the people.

"I myself put in a lot of effort into it. My entire party, right up to the Prime Minister, had invested heavily in it, hoping to deliver the goods to the people. I can tell you that in three years we achieved many things, but reached a point where we had to take the unfortunate and sorry decision."

He admitted that there was a delay in informing the PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti about the party's decision.

He said that he tried to reach her before sending the fax message to the Governor NN Vohra. "We could not talk before we sent it," he said. "By the time we could talk to each other, the letter had already gone, but this does not break any coalition dharma."

He also disclosed that there has been enough progress in bringing the Hurriyat leadership to the negotiation table, but the past fortnight's development have pushed things back to square one.

The senior BJP leader said that the suspension of anti-terror operations during Ramzan was suggested by Mehbooba. "We should not be pointing fingers," he added, "but it was Mehbooba-ji's suggestion. BJP debated it and then went ahead. The separatists should have accepted this goodwill gesture and come ahead to start some political activity, but they chose to silence free voices such as (journalist) Shujaat Bukhari."

He described Mehbooba as a good nationalist who took a firm stand against terrorism and killings in the Valley, and attributed the break-up to difference in approaches to the problems plaguing the state.

"Her political approach is different from ours, which she termed as a 'masculine approach'," he said. "We disagree with her use of this term." The senior party leader repeatedly criticised the establishment for not trying to carve space for mainstream political activity in south Kashmir.

He described the passing away of the former PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as first major setback for the alliance. Then came the killing of Hizbul leader Burhan Wani and the handling of its aftermath, but largely, there was consensus in the matter.

However, in the past one-and-a-half months, Madhav said there was a noticeable deterioration in the security situation and a certain amount of political posturing. He said that the partnership weakened after the PDP's stand on initiating talks with Pakistan and to continue the suspension of the anti-terror operations.

Madhav, believed to be the architect of alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, said the decision to walk away was not driven by politics, but taken in the larger interest to curb terrorism and protect the fundamental rights of the people in the Kashmir Valley.

He and the state's former finance minister Haseeb Drabu had drafted the Agenda of Alliance (AoA)—the common minimum programme for governance. Ironically, Mehbooba sacked Drabu last March following his remark that Kashmir was not a political issue.