Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party refuses to side with either BJP or Opposition, says interests lie with New Delhi

Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari has said that his party is not aligned with the BJP or the Opposition and stressed that its commitment is to New Delhi and the interest of Jammu and Kashmir.

Being a border region, Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford to be disconnected from the Union government, he said.

Bukhari said, "We have to stand with Delhi. That is in the national interest. That is in the interest of my people."

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While two major parties of Jammu and Kashmir -- the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) -- have sided with the other opposition parties, Apni Party has identified itself as politically neutral.

"We are with New Delhi. We are neither with BJP nor with the opposition. We are neither with those parties who have gone to Bengaluru nor with the other (BJP-led NDA).

"As far as the Apni Party is concerned, we stand with Delhi. Tomorrow, you can also presume that we can be with the party that rules in Delhi. However, there is the least possibility of that party (Congress coming to power at the Centre)," Bukhari told PTI in a video interview here.

Asked about his party's potential alliances, he reiterated that Apni Party will support whoever is in power at the Centre.

"We stand by our commitment to New Delhi. Anybody who sits in New Delhi tomorrow, we are with him. Jammu and Kashmir is a border region and it cannot afford to take cudgels with the Centre", he said.

"Any political party which has to govern Jammu and Kashmir needs the Centre's support. That is the truth. Whichever party is at the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir will depend on them," the Apni Party president said

Regarding the opposition parties attempting to forge a grand coalition in the run-up to the 202 Assembly election, Bukhari said, "It is good for democracy."

"India's strength is in its democracy and it is good for democracy," he said.

Asked about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari said that the region has achieved a level of normalcy similar to any other state in the country.

"People decided on August 5 (the day of abrogation of Article 370 in 2019) that they want peace. That is why even one per cent did not die", he said.

The former minister commended both the people and the security forces for this transformation and emphasised that the progress made in Jammu and Kashmir was irreversible.

On holding Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari criticised the BJP's "indirect governance" of the Union Territory and called for the holding of polls.

"The BJP is running Jammu and Kashmir from the back seat. Why can not assembly elections be held? Why only panchayat elections? They wouldn't even hold Lok Sabha elections had it not been their compulsion. The BJP is enjoying rule without any responsibility", he added.

About the restoration of the political system in Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari expressed confidence about bringing about significant change and assured that the Apni Party would be a major stakeholder in this transformation.

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Those who played with fire have suffered the consequences, he said, adding authority of the state needs to be extensive.

Bukhari strongly opposed the administration's decision to grant five malra of land to the poor and landless people of the Union territory.

He said the Apni Party stood against this decision soon to prevent outsiders from acquiring land in the region, as it would have adverse implications.

Such allocations should have been made in the cities of Jammu and Srinagar, he added.