After Coming out of her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that talks cannot be initiated in the state amid stone-pelting and bullets.
“Let us first control the situation because talks cannot happen amid stone-pelting and bullets,” Mehbooba told media persons.
The J&K CM further said that she discussed the prevailing situation in the state with Prime Minister Modi.
“We discussed the issue of less voting percentage in recent elections, and security situation in state (J&K) with the PM,” Mehbooba Mufti said.
She added that PM Modi has always talked about following policies of Atal Bihari Vajpayee who referred conciliation over confrontation.
“Modi ji has repeatedly said that he would follow Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji’s footsteps, whose policy is of reconciliation not confrontation,” she said.
After meeting with Union Home minister Rajnath Singh, Mehbooba said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir will improve in the next 2-3 months and then dialogue could be initiated with all stake holders.
"I understand that the coming 2-3 months are crucial for us. The situation of Jammu and Kashmir will change and improve. We will first restore the normalcy, then the talks can be initiated," Mehbooba said.
Mehbooba discussed with him various issues, particularly on the security situation in the state.
The PDP and the BJP, which are running the coalition government in the troubled state, are not on the same page on the issue of dealing with the growing trend of stone-pelting and this has led to friction between them.
A BJP minister Chander Prakash Ganga recently advocated strong action, saying “traitors and stone-pelters should be treated with bullets”.
This comment drew the ire of the PDP, which said there was a “conspiracy” to keep trouble brewing in the Valley.
“Such detestable remarks not only reflect the nauseous mentality of some extremist politicians in the state, but also expose the larger design of certain elements to provoke fresh trouble in Kashmir so that Kashmiris are pushed into perpetual educational and economic dis-empowerment,” senior PDP leader Peerzada Mansoor had said in a statement later.
Against the backdrop of the strains, BJP’s pointsman for Jammu and Kashmir Ram Madhav on Friday last held a meeting with senior PDP leader Haseeb Drabu in Jammu.
Madhav then met Ganga, who later expressed regret for his controversial comment.
