New Delhi, September 15: A day ahead of the crucial all-party meeting to discuss the tense situation in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP leader L K Advani on Tuesday slammed both the Centre and the state government, saying that the ruling UPA coalition was totally “spineless” and “about to capitulate before Pakistan-supported secessionists”.
Speaking at a party workshop for its media spokespersons, Advani said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was “alarming” and that the state government had “completely collapsed”. “However, the mess in Kashmir is not the making of only the government in Srinagar. In New Delhi, the UPA government is totally clueless and spineless,” he said.
Advani said in the coming months the handling of Kashmir situation was likely to become party’s main issue for mass agitation.
BJP leaders have twice met the Prime Minister, urging the government not to dilute the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), as is being demanded by the state government, or grant more autonomy to the state. As violence continues unabated in the Valley, the government has called an all-party meeting on Wednesday to create a consensus on the steps that need to be taken.
“There is talk of a ‘political solution’ to the Kashmir issue. Instead of giving a fitting reply to the secessionists, the government has been demonising the security forces. There is continuing talk of diluting the AFSPA, and withdrawal of the forces. This is nothing but a surrender before Islamabad’s strategy of breaking India’s post-1947 unity,” Advani said.
Pointing out that even Jawaharlal Nehru had viewed Article 370, which confers special status on Jammu and Kashmir, as a temporary provision, Advani lamented that rather than working towards gradual abrogation of Article 370, the UPA was bending over backwards to placate the secessionists. “We are all in favour of giving greater powers to all states as the concept of federalism warrants. But in the name of autonomy, we cannot allow the process of Kashmir’s integration to be reversed. I would like to warn the UPA government that if they decide to bow before the secessionists’ design in J&K, the country will not pardon them,” he said.
——-PTI