Mumbai, June 19: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in a surprising move, pulled out of their alliance with People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday. The move has stirred political circles in the state and in the Centre too. J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has also stepped down from her post. The political parties have criticised the move heavily; notably, the Indian National Congress (INC), who have accused the party of being too opportunistic of breaking alliance and escaping from its responsibilities.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “We’re happy to see that the Centre has accepted its mistake of joining hands with PDP in Jammu and Kashmir. After repeated ceasefire violations and loss of lives, BJP now wants to put all the blame on PDP. They can't run away from it.”

Talking about an alliance post the break-up, the senior Congressman said, “There is no question of Congress allying with PDP. This has been a total failure of part of Government of India. Also, we hold PDP government responsible for the same. However, Jammu and Kashmir are saved from further disaster.”

Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also a former chief minister of JandK, said, “BJP has ruined the state of Jammu and Kashmir. People's suffering will come to an end now. During the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir, there have been the most ceasefire violations, and the highest number of civilians and security forces killed. The BJP cannot shy away from responsibility now.”

Sensing an opportunity during this turmoil, the National Conference (NC) leader – Junaid Mattoo – has said that the party is keeping all its options (of the alliance) open. BJP-PDP Split in Jammu And Kashmir: What Next? New Alliance, Governor's Rule or Fresh Elections?

PDP Spokesperson Rafi Ahmad Mir said, “We tried our best to run the government with BJP. This had to happen. This is a surprise to us because we did not have any indication about their decision."

Earlier, BJP spokesperson Ram Madhav, while announcing the withdrawal of support in the Jammu and Kashmir government, said that they had to respect the mandate given by the people. Madhav said, “If we would not have formed government at that time, Governor's rule or Presidential rule would have been imposed in the Valley. We had an alliance with them just for the mandate that was given by people. Even if Governor Rule is imposed in the Jammu & Kashmir, our efforts to fight terrorism will continue.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2018 03:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).