BJP has no similarities with the PDP, says J&K Deputy CM Nirmal Singh

MUMBAI: The BJP does not share ideological or political similarities with PDP and its alliance is merely to give the state a stable and a corruption-free government, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today said.

Differing from PDP President Mehbooba Mufti's stand of repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, Singh said the BJP believed that the current situation does not warrant revocation of the Act.

"The AFSPA should continue. The current situation in Jammu and Kashmir does not warrant the abolition of this act. Mehbooba had said her party believes that this act should be revoked while speaking to a television news channel, but though we know that the army is required at the border and the police has to do policing, this act cannot be discontinued for now. However, it is for the Central government to decide," he said here.

"Our alliance with the PDP is not an ideological or a political one. This is an alliance forged to give the people of J&K stable and corruption-free governance," Singh, who is on a trip to Maharashtra to promote tourism in Jammu & Kashmir, said.

While replying to a query, Singh alleged that the PDP may have supported separatists to strengthen its votebank.

"I am sure that there is no support from the PDP's side after we have come to power in the state," he said.

Singh said that Jammu and Kashmir had become the most corrupt state in the country during the Congress-NC rule. The BJP allied with the PDP to form a government there to change the perception of people towards the state.

"The BJP and the PDP are like North and South poles. We struggled for two months before agreeing to ally with them. Everybody participated in the negotiations including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. J&K had got the tag of being the most corrupt state during the Congress-NC regime. We had to change that and thus we formed an alliance," Singh said.