AS Peoples Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party completed three years in power in restive Jammu and Kashmir State, for the first time the PDP is talking about breaking away with an alliance. The reason behind current acrimony between the two parties is not any political issue.
The cause following the PDP’s anger is the participation of the two BJP Ministers in a rally organized by Hindu Ekta Manch, which says the case of rape and murder of a minor girl should be handed over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and calls for release of accused arrested on the charges of the rape and murder.
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Senior PDP leader and minister for education Altaf Bukhari said his party would end the alliance with the BJP if it fails to deliver justice in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu’s Kathua district January this year. Bukhari said that they will take this case to logical end and won’t spare the culprits no matter who stands with whom. Bukhari said the case was under investigations by the Crime Branch and the investigation of the Crime Branch is doing the job professionally.
On Wednesday two BJP Ministers, Minister for Forest Chowdhary Lal Singh and Minister for Commerce and Industries Chander Prakash Ganga, attended a rally organized by the Hindu Ekta Manch. Three people, including Special Police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surinder Kumar, have been arrested so far. The Hindu Ekta Manch has been demanding the release of Khajuria. Ganga in the rally had said they also want the real accused to be punished but they will not allow people to be picked up randomly. While as in his address, Lal Singh raised question over the state government’s decision to hand over the case to the Crime Branch. Singh said the government committed a blunder when officials from Kashmir were specially called for the investigation and said, “Were the officials from Jammu incompetent to do the investigation?”
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Another senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said the police was known for its investigative skills and nobody can question their professional capabilities. He said the same politicians who today question professional capabilities of the police and want it to off the investigation, make a beeline to offer tributes when any personnel of the same force sacrifices his life while fighting elements inimical to peace. He said there can’t be double-standards in valuing responsibilities of police in one breath and demeaning the institution in another breath.
A senior PDP leader while pleading anonymity said that if the BJP will do politics over the minor girl’s rape and murder, then what is left in the coalition.
