J-K govt removed security cover of our leaders by design: JKNPP

Accusing the PDP-BJP government of indulging in "vindictive politics", Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party today claimed the ruling coalition removed security cover of a number of mainstream leaders from the opposition "by design", even in the face of "threats".

Congress had earlier accused the PDP-BJP government of "undermining" the security of mainstream leaders and senior activists of the opposition party with a design by "selectively withdrawing" their security cover and exposing them to anti-national forces, when, the party claimed, the militancy has "gone up" in the state.

"The government has indulged in vindictive politics; the ruling alliance has withdrawn security cover of a large number of JKNPP leaders", JKNPP Chairman Harsh Dev Singh said in a statement issued here today.

Singh accused the BJP of indulging in a "wicked design and a conspiracy" to "deprive JKNPP leaders" of their due security despite "security threats" faced by them.

Singh claimed that he has been "receiving" continuous threats from "anti-national" and "anti-social elements", who were persistently uttering menaces with "threats to kill" him.

"But the government has failed to take cognisance despite my repeated complaints", he further claimed.

He said that rather than augmenting his security, he being the chairman of the National Panthers Party, the government chose to "divest" him of the already "sanctioned security cover" thus "exposing" him to the risk of physical harm to his person and endangering his life.

He claimed that despite being a legislator for 18 years and a cabinet minister, he had been deprived of even the minimum security as provided to other former ministers of the state who had served as a legislator for a comparatively lesser period.

"Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has taken strong exception to the state government's move to selectively withdraw the security cover to leaders and senior activists of the opposition, which amounts to exposing them to the designs of anti-national forces as militancy has gone up," JKPCC Senior Vice President Sham Lal Sharma had said.

Congress has also claimed that security cover of "over 50 of its leaders and activists", including former ministers and MLAs,have been withdrawn while that of JKPCC Chief G A Mir has been drastically reduced, "exposing" them to the designs of anti-national forces.

Alleging that the state government's move was on a "selective basis", Congress said, such actions reflect the "political vendetta" of the present coalition.

"These moves of the government have left mainstream politicians vulnerable to the designs of anti-national forces and hamper the democratic activities of the mainstream opposition, which appears to be the intention behind such vindictive actions of the present government," Sharma alleged in the statement, also signed by other members of the party.