BJP pulls out of Kashmir alliance
India's ruling party yesterday withdrew from an alliance government in the disputed Kashmir region in what analysts described as an attempt to appear tough on militancy before a general election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it was pulling out of the governing coalition in Jammu and Kashmir state because of worsening "terrorism and violence".
The Hindu nationalist party had ruled in the restive state since March 2015 when it struck an unlikely alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a local political outfit which has advocated more autonomy for Kashmir.
"It has become untenable for the BJP to continue in the alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir," senior BJP leader Ram Madhav told reporters in New Delhi, referring to India's only Muslim-majority state.
"Today there is an increase in terrorism and violence, radicalisation is spreading fast."
Madhav said the state government had failed to curb radicalisation or guarantee civilian rights in the volatile territory disputed with Pakistan. The state's chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who hails from the PDP, tendered her resignation after the alliance lost the majority to rule. The state's governor will rule Jammu and Kashmir until fresh elections are held or a new coalition is cobbled together.
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