No BJP role in J&K assembly dissolution: Rajnath

Rajnath dismissed concerns that this may lead to uncertainty in Kashmir

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Home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday distanced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik’s decision to dissolve the state assembly, saying Malik acted after concluding that it wasn’t possible for a new state government to be formed in the current scenario.

“The governor of J&K took the decision after considering the political situation there; he reached to a conclusion that government formation was not possible in the state,” Singh said in an interview with Hindustan Times. “It was a decision taken by the governor. The BJP has no role. It is unfortunate that some section is trying to drag the BJP into this.”

Governor Malik dissolved the state assembly late on Wednesday night after claims for forming a new government were pressed both by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and People’s Conference leader Sajjad Lone. Mufti said she had the support of PDP’s arch rival National Conference (NC) and the Congress, claiming the backing of 56 MLAs. Lone said he had the support of the BJP’s 25 legislators and “more than 18” other members in the 87-seat assembly.

The home minister questioned Mufti’s claim of having secured the support of the Congress. “Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has made a statement that suggests his party had not supported PDP’s bid to form the gov- ernment. Why did he make that statement if Mufti was right,” Singh asked.

Another senior government functionary claimed that the governor had been considering dissolution of the assembly for the “past three-four days” and there had been no pressure on him from the Centre or any leader to pre-empt Mufti’s bid to form government.

“The governor, it looks, felt there was not a situation where any party had the numbers to form the government,” Singh said. The state has been under governor’s rule since June.

The home minister rejected any notion that the BJP had been spooked by the fact that the PDP, the NC and the Congress had come together to stake a claim for forming a government in J&K. “Where does the question of BJP getting unnerved arise in this case? It was a decision of the governor,” he said.

The home minister credited Malik for starting the political process in Kashmir. Singh dismissed concerns that the dissolution of the assembly may lead to another round of uncertainty in Kashmir, and said fresh election will be the obvious next step after Wednesday’s decision.

LONE’S PARTY GETS A LEG UP

SRINAGAR: Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference (PC) got a shot in the arm on Thursday as former minister and prominent Shia leader Imran Reza Ansari announced his decision to contest the next assembly elections on party ticket. Ansari, who was a legislator from Pattan in north Kashmir, had previously contested the elections on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket. However, after the BJP broke its alliance with PDP in June, Ansari had led a group of dissident PDP legislators who publicly denounced party chief Mehbooba Mufti for promoting nepotism. Ansari’s decision to join PC comes a day after governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the legislative assembly after Mufti and Lone staked claim to form the government in the state.

Lone welcomed Ansari to the party, saying, “I welcome @imranrezaansari into the @JKPC_ family. It is an emotional homecoming. Late Molvi Ifthikar sahib was one of the founding members’ of PC along with my late father. Molvi Imran sahib is a mass leader and will be a leading light in the caravan of change.”

The governor of J&K took the decision after considering the political situation there; he reached to a conclusion that govt formation wasn’t possible. RAJNATH SINGH, Union home minister