No mercy for terrorists: BJP spells out new Kashmir policy

NEW DELHI: A day after BJP pulled the plug on its alliance with PDP in J&K, party general secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday said that the saffron party will not show any "mercy" to terrorists.

"There will be no mercy for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir," BJP's J&K in-charge Ram Madhav stated his party's policy for the state while speaking to Times Now.

Madhav also clarified that his party is not looking for an early poll in the state where governor's rule came into effect earlier today after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his approval for the same. Following the BJP’s announcement, chief minister Mufti tendered her resignation and governor’s rule was imposed in the state a day after on Wednesday.

The "no mercy" strategy for combating terrorism in the Valley came even as leaders of the two main political parties in J&K, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti and NC's Omar Abdullah, had objected to the government's pursual of a "muscular" approach + to tackle terrorism in the state.

"We had always said muscular security policy will not work in J&K, reconciliation is key," Mufti said yesterday in an address to the media following her resignation from the post of chief minister.

Abdullah too was apprehensive of Centre's aggressive posturing in J&K. In reply to a tweet, Abdullah attributed the rise in violence in the last one year to the "muscular government" headed by the BJP-PDP alliance. "The failure of its policies is the joint failure of the PDP and the BJP. Neither one can absolve themselves of blame," he wrote.

Madhav was speaking a day after BJP announced that it will no longer be a part of the alliance leading to the collapse of the three-year-old government in the state.

The "no mercy" policy was part of BJP's four-pronged approach proposed to tackle the security situation in J&K. Dealing with Over Ground Workers (OGWs) through legal means, engaging with all stakeholders, including the Hurriyat, and promoting development being the other three points.

In the interview, Madhav also slammed its former coalition partner PDP for succumbing to "domestic political compulsion" and "failing to live up to its promise". He also cited PDP's demand to extend the Ramzan ceasefire as one of the reasons which led to the collapse of the alliance. In May, the central government had announced a unilateral ceasefire for the holy month of Ramzan.

During the interview, Madhav reiterated that BJP is ready for a dialogue, including separatist group Hurriyat.