BJP replaced ministers in J&K to address complaints of ill-performance & allegations of corruption

BJP’s plans to replace its ministers in the Mufti government is aimed at addressing complaints of ill-performance and allegations of corruption of its representatives and bridge the gap with the party’s electoral base in Jammu, according to party insiders.

The participation of two ministers in the rally to defend those accused in the Kathua rape and murder of an eight-year-old only provided the trigger for the reshuffle as the BJP was redrawing its strategy in the state, according to a senior BJP leader.

The party is likely to induct MLAs from Udhampur, Doda, Ramban and Poonch, not represented in the cabinet earlier.


“The reshuffle is nothing extraordinary. It is routine exercise. Let us see what happens, when the party meets later this month and national leadership takes a decision,” state general secretary Ashok Kaul told ET. Party insiders confirmed that all BJP ministers except deputy CM Nirmal Singh have submitted resignation to state president Sat Sharma. BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, co-architect of Agenda of Alliance, a working document between the two coalition partners, will visit Jammu to overlook the process of reshuffle and induction of new faces.

“For BJP, national interest is at core of its policies. We are a national party and performance of every public representative is minutely monitored. The national leadership will take a call in this regard. Some people are trying to create a division in Jammu, but we will not allow any of the conspiracies to fructify,” a senior BJP leader in the state told ET.

The BJP has been striving to manage its conflicts and keep the coalition with PDP going.

In the latest instance, CM Mehbooba Mufti had prevailed in the Kathua case by not succumbing to alleged pressure exerted by the Hindu Ekta Manch and completely supporting the J&K police’s investigation.