BJP general secretary Ram Madhav dismisses suggestions that Altaf Bukhari’s new party is a ‘B’ team of the BJP

A day after former minister and leader in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Altaf Bukhari launched a new political outfit, Apni Party, in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said it reflected an “expression of their desire for normal political activities in the Valley.”

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He also dismissed suggestions that Mr. Bukhari’s party was a “B” team of the BJP.

“There is a large section of political dispensation in the Valley which has been longing to resume political activities. We only see this new development as an expression of their desire for normal political activities,” said Mr. Madhav.

“For the BJP, we always wanted normal political activities in the Valley too. But our focus will be on expanding our footprints as BJP. I don’t want to comment on the prospects of the new party. We as BJP will continue our activities in the Valley,” he said.

The statement also comes on a day when a joint statement by the opposition signed by many leaders, including Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury demanding the immediate release of three former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who have been incarcerated since August 5, the day the Union government moved a Bill rescinding Article 370.

Key demand

According to senior sources in the BJP however, start of political activity was a key demand of its own Jammu unit that felt that like before Jammu was being penalised for issues only affecting the Valley. The Union government has notified a delimitation commission for Jammu and Kashmir as per the 2011 census. “The delimitation commission will take at least a year or more to finalise its report, we want political activity to start and every move made to have Assembly polls thereafter,” said a senior BJP leader. Local body polls were first announced and then postponed without a new date being offered.