Jammu: Taking strong exception to the demand of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to revoke the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from certain areas, the BJP today said such laws are imposed due to the pressing demand of the situation and not “just for fun.” However, the party put the onus on the state government to create a conducive situation where such laws are not required.“The laws like AFSPA are not imposed in any part of the country out of any fun. The states should create conditions where they are not required,” BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav said while reacting to the demand of Mehbooba. Madhav was in Jammu to participate in the state election committee meeting to get a feedback from local leaders regarding the forthcoming Lok Sabha byelections and Legislative Council biennial elections.Addressing a function in Delhi on Wednesday, Mehbooba had argued that the AFSPA should be revoked from some areas. Appealing for a “window of peace,” she had stated, “We should not shy away from the fact that we need to start revocation of the AFSPA from some places and see what is the impact?”After Mehbooba’s demand, Ram Madhav, who is the architect of the PDP-BJP alliance in J&K, said, “when the necessity for these laws will be brought to end by the state governments whether in J&K or the North-East, and the situation changes, such laws automatically get scrapped.”Apparently blaming the state governments, including the coalition regime in J&K, for not creating a situation conducive for withdrawal of such laws, Madhav said, “state governments should ensure better security, law and order to ensure the AFSPA-like laws are not needed. The state governments should contribute in creating a conducive situation where there is no need to impose such laws.”On Thursday, BJP national vice-president and in-charge of J&K affairs of the party, Avinash Rai Khanna, had also opposed Mehbooba’s demand. “The BJP stand is very clear that the AFSPA can’t be withdrawn until peace is restored and situation is normal in the state. The Centre is monitoring the situation very closely and will take a decision at a right time,” Khanna had told mediapersons at Srinagar.
Party high command to take call on bypolls
Ram Madhav made it clear that the party high command will take the final decision on contesting the Lok Sabha byelections in J&K. He said after holding detailed discussions with local leaders, he had suggested to the BJP state unit to discuss the issue with the PDP leadership so as to evolve a consensus between the two coalition partners. (Tribune News Service)