Governor's rule inevitable in J&K after BJP ends alliance with PDP: 10 Points

The BJP on Tuesday pulled out of the PDP-led Jammu and Kashmir government More than three years after they formed an uneasy coalition.

In this file photo dated May 09, 2018, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addresses the media as Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta (L) looks on after an all-party meeting at SKICC in Srinagar. PTI Photo

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday pulled out of the PDP-led Jammu and Kashmir government More than three years after they formed an uneasy coalition. It cited growing terror activities and radicalization in the valley making continuation of the alliance "untenable".

• BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav announced the party's sudden decision of pulling out of the Jammu and Kashmir government at a hurriedly-called press conference.
• Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta and nine other ministers from the party tendered their resignation to Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. The state leaders were called to the national capital for urgent consultations.
• The BJP blamed the PDP for failing to improve the security conditions in the Kashmir Valley. Madhav cited last week's killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari in the heart of Srinagar in the highly secured area of Press Enclave by unidentified gunmen. The same day -- two days before Eid -- an Army jawan was abducted while going on Eid leave and killed.
• Shortly after the BJP pulled out of the coalition government, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti rushed to the Raj Bhawan here and submitted her resignation to Governor N.N. Vohra.
• The decision to withdraw support came after BJP president Amit Shah met with the party's lawmakers from Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi. It also came two days after the Centre decided not to continue with the ceasefire.
• The Congress said there is no question of an alliance with the PDP. National Conference also ruled out supporting the PDP.
• The move came less than a year ahead of the 2019 general elections and a couple of months after the BJP had replaced its Deputy Chief Minister in the wake of outrage over Kathua rape incident.
• After the fall of the BJP-PDP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, the imposition of Governor's rule became inevitable in the state.
• PDP and the BJP formed a coalition more than two months after the December 2014 elections returned a hung verdict, in which the PDP got 28 seats and the BJP 25, while the National Conference with 15 and Congress managed to win 12 in a House of 89. The government came to power on March 1, 2015.
• The PDP said it tried its best to run the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir. "This is a surprise for us because we did not have any indication about their decision," PDP spokesperson Rafi Ahmad Mir said.

(With inputs from agencies)