Took govt by surprise, says key BJP leader
Ram Madhav says Pak-backed forces, not Burhan Wani’s death, behind Valley unrest
NEW DELHI: The government was taken by surprise by the current phase of violence in Kashmir and there was initial confusion in the response, BJP general secretary and Delhi’s point man in the Valley, Ram Madhav, said on Monday. He, however, blamed Pakistan-backed forces and “agent provocateurs” for the unrest.
The admission by Madhav, who played a key role in sealing the BJP-PDP alliance government in the state, is the first by a senior member of the ruling party on the violence that has left 69 people dead in Kashmir since July.
In an exclusive interview to HT , Madhav said Kashmir could “ask for the Moon within the
Indian Constitution” and reiterated the Centre’s willingness to “engage with all sections of the Valley’s society” to defuse the volatile situation.
“There was no such anticipation of any outburst of violence on the streets. In earlier phases, there was some reason – genuine or based on propaganda. This time, the BJP-PDP government had been careful to ensure there was no issue. So initially, there was some kind of confusion about how to tackle this situation,” he said.
He rejected the contention that the protests were sparked by the killing of Burhan Wani , a Hizbul Mujahidden commander shot dead by security forces on July 8.
“Tackling militants has been a day-to-day affair for 20 years. Successive governments have done it. I do not buy this theory (of Wani’s killing sparking the protests).”
The protests have seen stonepelting mobs target security forces, resulting in retaliatory firing. Hundreds of people have also been left with eye injuries by pellets fired by security forces, fuelling anger among Kashmiris.