Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 20: BJP national general secretary, Ram Madhav, party’s pointman on Jammu and Kashmir, who had stitched the alliance between PDP and BJP more than two years back, said today that the BJP will not be in the Government the day it feels that sovereignty and national interests are being compromised in the Kashmir valley but made it clear that presently “the BJP was not uncomfortable” in the Government.
Madhav said the Centre’s policy on talks in Jammu and Kashmir, which were repeatedly being demanded by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, was very clear that it won’t engage separatists in the talks.
The BJP general secretary made these observations in an interview with Republic TV telecast this afternoon.
Madhav’s comments assumed significance as they came just three days after Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, in her speech on floor of the Legislative Assembly, asserted that there was no alternative but to hold dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir to solve the unrest.
To a pointed question by the interviewer, Ram Madhav, who looks after the affairs of Jammu and Kashmir, said the day BJP feels that sovereignty of the country and national interests are being compromised in the Valley, it will not be in the Government.
“Power is not bigger than national interests to the BJP,” he asserted.
Maintaining that Army has a free hand in the Kashmir Valley to deal with militants, Madhav described BJP Government’s Kashmir policy as “well thought of”, and asserted that the BJP is not feeling “uncomfortable in the Government”.
To a question that whether time has come to impose President’s or Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir, the veteran BJP leader didn’t agree saying the situation was “well under control” with “militancy under check”.
On Mehbooba Mufti’s repeated demand for talks on Jammu and Kashmir, the latest one coming from floor of the Legislative Assembly on July 17 during Special Session of the Legislature on GST, Ram Madhav said: “she (Mehbooba Mufti) has her own opinion and we have ours”.
“The Centre’s policy on talks with separatists is very clear. We won’t engage in talks with the separatists,” he added.
Madhav recalled that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is on record having said that the Central Government was willing to talk to anyone, who approached them for talks. “On our own, we are not going to invite to anyone for talks”.
He said Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti can hold talks with the stakeholders on her own within the framework of the Constitution of India. He added that the BJP didn’t need “repeated reminders” for talks from anyone as it has `”well thought of” Kashmir policy in place.
Replying to another question, Madhav wondered whether Hurriyat Conference was really interested in talks.
He said the BJP had entered into an alliance with the PDP to form party’s first-ever Government in Jammu and Kashmir after reaching an ‘Agenda of Alliance’ (AoA) in which majority of issues faced by the two parties have been settled.
“We are committed to the Agenda of Alliance,” he said.
It may be mentioned here that the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ called for talks with all stakeholders on Kashmir to resolve the issue for restoration of peace in the Valley.
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