Ram Madhav favours tough action to control Kashmir unrest

New Delhi, Sep 10: BJP leader Ram Madhav today favoured tough action to control the current unrest in Jammu and Kashmir and said separatists should have to give up the agitational path and consider dialogue.

The party general secretary also said the PDP-BJP government in the state would last its full term as long the two parties abide by the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and tackle the situation in an appropriate manner.

"There is a concern, that we probably have not tackled it (situation) effectively. We have allowed certain things to drift. Time has come for us to act tough and control the situation in the larger interest of the people of the valley as also the larger interest of India's integrity," he told Karan Thakar on India Today TV.

On the national mainstream parties' demand for talks with Hurriyat, Madhav said they were free to talk to the state government as the CMP says that the state government was ready to talk to all stakeholders including the separatists. "Very much.

They should give up their agitational politics which is not going to yield them anything. I am telling them very clearly," he said to a question whether the ball was in the Hurriyat's court.

Madhav said even though some members of the all-party delegation had approached separatists, their response was negative as they seem only interested in instigating violence. "These leaders (separatists) are not really interested in peace, not interested in dialogue. They are interested in violence, getting children killed.

"The message from our side has gone through the (all- party delegation's) visit. But this adventure (the snubbed outreach to the separatist leaders ) that happened as a side show definitely conveys to a large section of Kashmiri people that these leaders are really not interested in any dialogue or solution.

They only want to perpetuate the disturbance and violence in Kashmir," he said. On the issue of autonomy, he said "my party's stand is very clear. That there is enough freedom and enough laws to help the state."

"Whatever is there is enough. But anything more that they demand needs to be there within the framework of Indian Constitution," he said, dubbing as "political posturing" the demands made by Congress leader P Chidambaram and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury for more autonomy to be given to the state.

Asked if BJP would be persuaded by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Madhav said "No. We are together on an agreed upon agenda, namely of Common minimum Programme. BJP's position is a well though out position on this issue.

There is no change in that position," he said. People have the right to ask for the moon but it has to be within the framework of the Constitution, Madhav said. At another point, he said, "my party's stand is very clear. That there is enough freedom and enough laws to help the state".

PTI