BJP needles coalition partneras it backs forces on curbing protests

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 23

Amid serious differences with its coalition partner — PDP — over dealing with stone-throwers in the Kashmir valley, the BJP today endorsed methods being adopted by the Army and security forces to restore normalcy in violence-hit areas.

By approving the approach of the security forces, the BJP has taken a stand against the PDP which had expressed its reservation over it, especially after the “human shield” video had gone viral on social media. The video showed a Budgam youth tied to an Army jeep and being used as a human shield against stone-throwers.

Highly placed sources said unfazed by the criticism of the PDP, the BJP today passed a resolution on the concluding day of its working committee meeting at Doda. In the resolution, which is likely to be made public on Monday, the BJP has appreciated methods being adopted by the security forces and the Army in dealing with stone-throwers.

BJP’s endorsement of security forces’ methods is likely to further deepen fissures between the coalition partners as the PDP has already taken a serious note of BJP general secretary Ram Madhav’s justification of the “human shield” episode by stating “all is fair in love and war.”

The sources said the resolution on security situation was passed to give a clear message to the coalition partner that the party was not going to compromise on the issue.

The sources said taking a serious note of the heckling and humiliation of some security personnel by stone-throwers on April 9, the party observed that despite such acts the security personnel had maintained utmost restraint to avoid civil casuality.

Meanwhile, according to an official handout issued by the party, BJP state general secretary Ashok Koul shared the details related to the two-day visit of party president Amit Shah. He announced that the next working committee meeting would be held in Rajouri on July 30.