Saffron cadre upset over Centre abandoning stance on Article 370

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 19

If the violence during the “ceasefire” will be the last straw for the uneasy alliance between the BJP and PDP remains to be seen, but the saffron cadres are certainly upset over the party-led Centre “abandoning” its long-held stance on Article 370.

Besides the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the future of the coalition, the underlying anger among the cadres over response to Article 370 in the vision document is also among the main issues to come up at a crucial meeting of the state BJP leaders with party chief Amit Shah on Tuesday.

BJP state chief Ravinder Raina said they would try to increase the number of seats for the upcoming polls. 

A key takeaway while talking to the state leaders is that “excessive leeway to Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir” has alienated their core voters in the Jammu region who overwhelmingly voted for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. 

In sharp contrast to the BJP, Mehbooba and her party are perceived as supporting “soft separatism” revolving around reconciliation with Pakistan and separatist groups operating in Kashmir. 

“While her views and stance have been accepted despite severe reservations keeping in mind the interests of the sensitive border state, the BJP cadres are unhappy. This may affect the BJP’s prospects in 2019,” says a leader. 

“Resentment and concern” in the BJP-RSS over the way the party-led Centre has “softened, rather abandoned“ its stance on critical issues related to Kashmir in the penultimate year before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections has been reported earlier.

Their biggest grouse has been the response to the BJP’s long-held stance on Article 370, guaranteeing the state the present level of autonomy.

“Though leaders keep making assurances, the fact is that the BJP has not done anything in the past four years since it has been in power at the Centre,” they say.

While the recent “softening” (ceasefire) may have helped India and the Modi-led government to build favourable perceptions at the international level, its dedicated cadres are upset.

Senior BJP leaders are also believed to have discussed the issue at Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence recently.