BJP bats for early Assembly polls in J and K

BJP on Wednesday batted for holding early Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir while charging National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with being "happy" with the Lok Sabha polls.

"We have asked the Election Commission to hold Assembly elections in the state as early as possible," BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav told reporters in Srinagar.

"Farooq Abdullah (of NC) and Mehbooba Mufti (of PDP) are contesting the Lok Sabha elections and they are happy with that. But we want early Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir," Madhav added.

Mehbooba will contest from the Anantnag parliamentary constituency while Abdullah from the Srinagar seat.

Madhav slammed PDP and NC for boycotting urban local body and panchayat polls, saying, "Mehbooba and Omar Abdullah do not want peace in the Valley. They were not concerned about Article 35-A or Article 370 during the polls, rather they are afraid of BJP's win and their defeat in the state."

"I must tell you that after BJP withdrew its support to PDP, the situation in Kashmir has improved," he said.

"Our stand on Article 370 has always been the same. I assure you that (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji will come to power again. The local political parties here are only bothered about their families and regaining power. They are not bothered about the locals or the development of the region," Madhav said.

He also asked Omar Abdullah to comment on the pro-Pakistani remark made by Akbar Lone of his party recently.

"I would like to ask the National Conference leadership if they agree with the statement of Akbar Lone on Pakistan. We demand that the administration must register an FIR against him over such anti-India statements which can only provoke people. Strict action should be taken against him," he said.

On March 25 at a rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, Lone had said, "May my Muslim nation on the other side prosper and be successful. If anyone abuses them once, I will abuse them ten times."

Madhav also hit out at the National Conference-Congress alliance in the state for the Lok Sabha polls and termed the seat-sharing pact as a "drama".

"This drama that is going on is that they are in alliance in Jammu, but fighting in Kashmir. They are trying various types of exercises against Modi ji and BJP. Let them do it. We will win two seats in Jammu and one in Ladakh and will try our best in Kashmir so that our candidates go forward," he added.