National Conference on Monday expressed shock over the participation of PDP Spokesperson and Minister Nayeem Akhtar’s participation in the BJP’s National Executive meet at SKICC Srinagar and demanded that the party come out with an explanation.
Reacting over the presence of senior Cabinet Minister and PDP senior member Nayeem Akhtar, in the executive meeting of BJP held at Srinagar on Sunday, Party Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani said that the inclusion of PDP in a high level BJP meet was a clear sign that PDP and BJP had the same agenda in Jammu and Kashmir. “Executive body meetings are not part of governance decision making. These are policy making occasions for the party,” Nasir said. He added that the news of Akhtar being part of this meeting was “not just shocking, but questionable too”.
He alleged that PDP had “merged” with BJP. “Looking at the way two parties are now having a joint executive body meeting in Kashmir, the north pole and south pole have not just met, but undoubtedly merged,” Nasir said.
He said that people of Kashmir deserve an explanation about what the senior PDP leader was doing at the BJP policy meeting. “Are they (PDP) taking dictations from BJP? Or are they helping the saffron brigade to spread its tentacles better over J&K?” the Provincial President said.
Terming the alliance of PDP-BJP a result “well devised strategy” to change the political discourse and expression of the state, Nasir said that in the past three years, state has seen how the ruling alliance had made dilution of state’s special status its one point agenda. “Article 35A, Article 370, Beef Ban, GST… the list goes on. The ruling alliance was forged to make us surrender to the vehemently aggressive saffronisation of India,”
He said that the fact that Akhtar not only showed his presence at the meeting, but also addressed the party workers of BJP needed no explanation vis-à-vis the significance of the attendance. “We need an answer from PDP. People of Kashmir, who the party claims to represent, need an explanation,” the Provincial President said. (KNS)