We have enough state govts, don't prefer ruling J-K through President's Rule: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday took a dig at Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad saying that the BJP is in power in "enough state governments" and that President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir was only due to security reasons.

"We don't prefer ruling through President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir as you said, with God's grace and Modi ji's (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) popularity, we have enough state governments, 16 in total. So, it was due to security concerns that elections were not held," he said responding to the jibe from the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.

The Home Minister made the remarks during his address in the Upper House on Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill.

"Stop running the government from Delhi. That will be biggest confidence-building measure," Ghulam Nabi Azad had said earlier during the debate on the extension of President's Rule in the state.

"When it comes to Assembly elections, the government is hesitant. You want to run the government without accountability," the Congress leader had said.

The Home Minister also dismissed assertions by the Opposition leaders that the government was spreading misinformation against late Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

"Ghulam Nabi Azad ji and Manoj Jha ji (RJD leader) said that we (government) want to spread misinformation against Nehruji among the Indian public. This is wrong. This is not our intention and never will be. But the nations which don't learn from their mistakes in history don't have a bright future," he said.

Azad had strongly defended the role of Jawaharlal Nehru in relation to the developments in the state after BJP leaders accused the late Prime Minister of committing mistakes.

He said BJP can keep blaming Nehru but it was because of him that Kashmir was an integral part of India.

The Home Minister also said that his party walked out of the alliance with PDP after realising that separatism was being encouraged.