Both Abdullahs and Muftis should be shown the door: Ram Madhav

Srinagar: BJP national general secretary and in charge of the party’s J&K elections, Ram Madhav said on Wednesday that the voters should show the door to both Abdullahs and Muftis in the Assembly elections.

Madhav was reacting to the accusation by the National Conference (NC) that he was close to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Mehbooba Mufti.

The NC had said that Ram Madhav had been instrumental in bringing the PDP and the BJP close to each other to form the alliance after the 2014 Assembly elections.

Madhav on Wednesday accompanied the BJP candidate for Lal Chowk Assembly constituency, Aijaz Hussain when the latter filed his nomination papers.

The BJP leader told reporters that NC and the PDP were taking support from ex-militants during the ongoing election campaign.

“Both these parties want to take Kashmir back to its dark past. I have information that ex-militants are openly campaigning for the candidates of the NC and PDP. The people will have to defeat the parties who want to take J&K back to its dark past. People should support new leadership which wants peace and progress,” said Madhav.

He said both NC and the PDP speak of the restoration of Article 370, statehood, talks with Pakistan and resolution of the Kashmir issue. “This is an attempt to take Kashmir back to its dark, trouble-filled past,” Madhav said.

He asserted that in the Valley new parties and new leadership would emerge through the Assembly elections while in the Jammu division, the BJP would emerge as the people’s representative for peace and development.

Ram Madhav attributed the large number of young faces contesting the Assembly polls to people’s desire for new leadership since the people are fed up with both Abdullahs and Muftis.

“A good number of youths are coming forward and they should be supported. This state was under the grip of two families, those two families needed to be shown the door. This state needs to be rid of those families,” he said.

Asked whether the BJP will ally with any party if there is a fractured mandate, Madhav said the BJP will emerge as the single largest party, but “if there is such a situation, we will discuss it afterwards”.

He welcomed the entry of former members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (Jei) into the election fray.

“There is space for everyone in a democracy. We welcome everyone who wants to come forward to contest elections through democracy. But, no one should contest the polls using the support of terrorists and ex-militants. The polls will be held peacefully and in a transparent manner. That is the assurance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Parliament polls were conducted in a transparent manner. Many people have realised that elections are conducted here in a free and fair manner. So, that is why they have come forward to contest, and we welcome everyone who wants to contest,” he said alluding clearly to the Jamaat-e-Islami.