Jammu & Kashmir BJP spokesperson Khalid Jehangir on Tuesday denied TV reports that ministers from the party would resign from the state cabinet in protest.
Some English news channels reported that all BJP ministers in the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet have decided to resign, days after the two of their fellow partymen -- forest minister Chaudhary Lal Singh and industries and commerce minister Chander Prakash Ganga who allegedly attended an event organised by the Hindu Ekta Manch in support of the Kathua rape case accused — submitted their resignations. On Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti accepted the resignations of Ganga and Singh.
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Jehangir told Outlook that during a meeting, chaired by BJP state general secretary Avinash Khanna, it was decided that nefarious designs of people who want to harm the communal harmony in the state will be defeated, adding that there was no question of resignation of the party ministers.
Another BJP spokesman Arun Gupta echoed Jehangir’s version.
Sources, however, said the party is going for a reshuffle and some of its ministers would resign. It will be a routine exercise.
Sources say BJP national General Secretary Ram Madhav had in addition of seeking resignations of Chaudhary Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga, had sought resignations of eight BJP ministers last week when he chaired a meeting of State BJP unit in Jammu. The move, according to the sources, is to induct new faces in the cabinet for next three years.
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Both Singh and Ganga were forced to resign after huge criticism to party over their participation in the rally in support of the accused rapists and murderers of the eight-year-old girl from Kathua on March 1.
In Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, the Muslim nomadic girl was allegedly abducted, drugged, gangraped, tortured and killed. After being missing for a week, her body was found on January 17.
Singh on Sunday said that he resigned on moral grounds.
"I gave resignation on moral values. If someone is hurt because of me, I have no right to remain in that post, that is why I resigned. I also said that one must live by their conscience, and my conscience did not approve that violence and riots are caused just for the resignation of two ministers," Singh told ANI.
"I have done nothing but I resigned so as there's no violence in the country," he added.
Singh also upheld demands for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-led enquiry, contending that it would give clarity to all.
The recent investigation into the incident unfolded the details of the crime, and the accused were arrested, which trigged a protest march in support of the accused, while a group of lawyers tried to obstruct the police from filing the chargesheet.
