National Conference leader accuses BJP of playing victim, demands apology to Jammu and Kashmir for 'nightmarish era'

Jammu: Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing the victim card, a National Conference (NC) leader on Saturday demanded that it apologise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for forcing them to undergo a “nightmarish era” in the past three years. NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana claimed the alienation among people has grown because of the “ill-advised and provocative policies” pursued by the saffron party. “Honesty and political morality demanded the BJP to admit its failures and apologise to the people who have undergone a nightmarish era in the past three years,” he said addressing party workers in Udhampur district. [caption id=“attachment_4504349” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] BJP withdrew support to the People’s Democratic Party-led government in the state on 19 July, paving the way for Governor’s rule. It said the party took the decision to withdraw from the government as PDP failed to ensure equitable development and discriminated against Jammu and Ladakh regions. He advised the BJP against playing the “victim card”. “Irony is not that the BJP is publicly admitting failure in deliverance, development and fulfilling aspirations of Jammu but brazenly offering excuses to hide the betrayal to those who vehemently mandated it with 25 seats in legislative assembly during 2014 elections,” Rana said. He described the memorandum submitted by a BJP delegation to Governor NN Vohra seeking completion of various projects in Jammu region an attempt to hoodwink public opinion. Who stopped the BJP from fulfilling the promises made to the people of Jammu, Rana asked, saying the party was in power at the Centre and in the state. He referred to the issues the BJP took to the governor, including setting up of AIIMS and smart city project, saying these portfolios were held by BJP ministers. “How can they shift the blame now,” he wondered.