Amit Shah’s Stand Confirms BJP Move to Consolidate Jammu Hindu Votes

Shah said PDP had neglected Hindu-dominated Jammu and Ladakh regions.

Ever since the BJP decided to pull the plug from its alliance with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, it was reasoned that the party did so to consolidate its Hindu vote bank in the Jammu region. Yesterday, BJP chief Amit Shah confirmed this when he defended the party’s stand on severing ties with PDP on the grounds that the Mehbooba Mufti-led government was partial towards Muslim dominated Kashmir while neglecting Jammu and Ladakh regions.

Shah said Modi government had made several efforts towards the overall development of the state but  Jammu and Ladakh regions continued to be neglected.  “That’s when we decided that we should rather protest in opposition,” he told a rally to mark “historic martyrdom anniversary” of right-wing idealogue Shyama Prasad Mookerjee.

The alliance with pro-Pakistan PDP was seriously eroding the BJP vote bank in the Jammu region. This is something that the party did not want before the 2019 general elections.

Shah said the decision was taken in nation’s interest and there was no point to stay in power if the goal of equal development is not achieved. Shah alleged that PDP showed discrimination towards the Jammu and Ladakh region.

He also said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the BJP will never allow it to be disintegrated from the country. “We will never allow Kashmir to get disintegrated from India. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country,” Shah said.

It was the BJP president’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the collapse of the PDP-BJP alliance. He arrived in Jammu today. The BJP chief’s visit to the strife-torn state coincided with the death anniversary of Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. He said that if Jammu is connected to India today, it is only because of Mookerjee.

 “The balance in development which should have been there among the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh did not happen and there was also this (worsening) law and order situation,” he said.