BJP follows principle of 'zero tolerance' towards terrorism, separatism: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Prime Minister's Office and MP from Udhampur, Jitendra Singh, said on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) follows a principle of zero-tolerance towards terrorism and separatism.

Singh's statement comes after the separatist leader Masarat Alam was earlier in the day arrested from his residence in Jammu and Kashmir over a planned rally in Pulwama District's Tral area.

"As far as the BJP leadership is concerned, both at the centre as well as the state, our stand has been very consistent as far as nationalism is concerned, patriotism is concerned and we follow a principle of zero-tolerance towards the terrorism and towards separatism," Singh told ANI.

Singh said, "The coalition that has come up into existence in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is purely for the sake of governance."

"I have no hesitation to acknowledge and state over here that there is no compromise on certain principles which are very close to us, dear to us and we have held close to our heart for the last 60-65 years, and for which founding fathers like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee who laid down their lives on the soil of Jammu and Kashmir," he added.

Singh also said that nobody should go with go away with this impression that merely for the existence in the government or coalition, the Bharatiya Janata Party is ready to compromise on any of these basic principles.

"Having said that you must realise that in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, a fractured mandate had emerged following the assembly elections, and the two largest groups that emerged, PDP from the Kashmir valley and BJP from Jammu, therefore the onus fell on these two larger groups to come together and give a democratically elected government over there because that also is an essential democratic obligation for any political party," Singh added.

Singh further said, "Therefore, in order to discharge that responsibility, purely for the sake of governance, based on a Common Minimum Programme the two parties have come together and I am sure after today's experience both the parties would learn not to trespass into each other's domain of ideological stands and would concentrate all their energies and focus on issues of a larger interest, closer to the common man."

Earlier, as a preventive measure to maintain law and order, Alam and another separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had been put under house arrest before arresting Alam.