First peace, then J&K statehood: BJP

NT Correspondent

Srinagar: The Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) on Monday said that statehood will be restored to Jammu and Kashmir when the Union Territory achieves normalcy, selective killings stop and the common man is able to move freely. General Secretary of the J&K BJP, Ashok Kaul said that BJP supports the return of the statehood to the UT.

“Our Home Minister and Prime Minister have stated on the floor of the parliament that statehood will be restored. As in when the situation in J&K is normalised, selective killings would end and the common man can move around freely, statehood will be restored. Both of our leaders have said this and BJP supports this,” he said.

Asked about assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Kaul said that they would be held soon after the delimitation commission submit its reports.

“Delimitation Commission is due to submit its report before March 6(next year) and based on the report 90 seats will go to polls. Soon after the report, elections will be held,” said the senior BJP leader.

A delimitation commission is currently engaged in the delimitation exercise for Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kaul, the recent targeted killings in the valley are BJP’s biggest concern. There has been a spate of targeted killings, including of migrant workers, recently, which has now emerged as a major challenge for the security forces in the valley.

“It is a big concern. People who are associated with BJP are being killed... even our Muslim brothers are getting killed. We are against all these selective killings and no religion allows such cowardly acts,” he said.

Reacting to the report, former JK Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah said that people “J&K will be punished by having our statehood withheld, because of the collective failure of the Union Government & the J&K administration.”

“...they fail to protect people, they fail to manage the security situation & the rest of us are punished. What an idea sir Ji!,” he wrote on Twitter while reacting to Kaul’s statement.