BJP will form next govt on its own in J-K: Khanna

BJP national vice president Avinash Rai Khanna on Thursday said the party will form the next government on its own in Jammu and Kashmir to begin an era of peace and development in the state.

The BJP had on Wednesday appointed Khanna as election in-charge for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, the schedule for which has not been announced yet, and decided to intensify its membership drive in the state.

"The party will form the next government on its own in J&K and an era of peace, development and prosperity will usher in here," Khanna said.

He said the BJP will register a "splendid victory" in the assembly elections and "write a new chapter" by forming its own government in the state.

"The people in Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir have the BJP as their first choice and polling of record number of votes in the favour of the party in the recent Lok Sabha elections stand testimony to it," the BJP leader said.

Khanna said the BJP had entered into an alliance with the PDP to form the government with the sole objective of development without compromising on its core issues and ideology.

"We did it so to honour the mandate of the people who elected our 25 MLAs to the state assembly who did their best to come up to the expectations of the people", he said.

Khanna said political atmosphere in the state is "now more favourable for the BJP" as the people have themselves seen the "real faces" of the Congress and the regional parties.

"They always betrayed the people by playing emotional cards but now none of them would succeed in their game plans," he said.

"While the BJP has always been sincere about flourishing of democracy, others were opportunists, who did not contribute in strengthening democracy at the grassroots level and went for boycotting the ULB and panchayat elections," the BJP leader said.

"Whether in coalition in the state or heading the government at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP worked to end discrimination with Jammu and Ladakh and treated all the three regions as equal in matters related to development and welfare," he said.

Khanna said that the central government approved a "record number" of development projects and welfare schemes for the state.

"Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas line of working took all on board without discrimination on the basis of region, religion, gender or caste and people are well convinced that it is the BJP only which is committed for development, ending dynastic rule, check corruption and ensure safety and security of common citizens,"he said.