Why are you continuing with this farce coalition govt: Chidamabaram to Mehbooba Mufti

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday took a swipe at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti asking her why she is continuing with a "farce" of a coalition government when whatever "she proposes, her deputy disposes".

The former Union home minister said that whatever the PDP and other parties may say, the BJP will never allow them to explore ways to bring peace in the northern state.

State deputy chief minister and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta had opposed Mehbooba Mufti's call for a "unilateral ceasefire" in view of the Ramzan and Amarnath Yatra, and was quoted as saying in media reports that a "ceasefire is never a one-sided.

"CM, Jammu and Kashmir proposes, Deputy CM disposes! Mehbooba ji, why are you continuing with this farce of a coalition government?

"Whatever the PDP and other parties may say or demand, the BJP will never allow them to explore ways to bring peace to J&K," Chidambaram said on Twitter.

Gupta reportedly said if there is an appeal from the militants' side, only then can the ceasefire appeal be taken into account and the same cannot be accepted when there are continuous attacks on security forces by militants.

Fissures surfaced within Jammu and Kashmir's ruling alliance yesterday after the BJP dubbed Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's call for a unilateral ceasefire as a move "not at all in national interest" while also slamming the state government's "soft policy" on stone pelters.

The BJP's state unit fielded two spokespersons, Sunil Sethi and Arun Gupta, who said a unilateral ceasefire, as suggested by the chief minister, would only serve to ease pressure on militants and allow them to re-energise.

"We have a strong view...unilateral ceasefire in the present situation is not in national interest at all," Sethi asserted.

The BJP spokespersons described the situation in the Kashmir Valley as "very serious" and said the soft policy of the Mehbooba Mufti government was responsible for it.

"Security situation is very serious...in Kashmir, stone pelting is continuously on and unfortunately one tourist has lost his life," he said.

Mehbooba Mufti had said the Centre should consider a unilateral ceasefire starting from Ramzan in mid May till the completion of the Amarnath Yatra in August.

PTI