No truck with Apni Party: BJP

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 5

Amid accusations of the BJP being hand in glove with the Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), saffron leaders, while denying any connection with the new party, say their party is building its own leadership and cadre in the Valley and “will contest independently” whenever elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir.

Rivals in the Valley have accused JKAP of being the “BJP in Kashmir and following the RSS agenda”. The JKAP draws its members from the Valley’s established parties and its chief Altaf Bukhari is a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with whom the BJP ran a government in the erstwhile state before parting ways in June 2018. Later, he was expelled from the PDP for “anti-party activities”.

Dismissing speculation and charges that the BJP and the JKAP were playing on one side, BJP national secretary Narinder Singh said “the party will always remain independent in the Valley”, while party spokesman Abhijeet Jasrotia added that the Prime Minister and Home Minister belong to the entire country and anyone can meet them.

“The BJP has no plans to ally with it, we will form a majority government in the next elections when they happen,” Jasrotia said. He added that the Apni Party has good Kashmir-based leaders. It is a party with no ‘parivarvaad’ (nepotism) and has fresh faces who give hope about new future.”