BJP divided Jammu and Kashmir for cronies, used brute majority to rob people: PDP

The BJP split Jammu and Kashmir’s land and resources to benefit its "cronies" and used its brute majority in parliament to pass laws that disempower the region's people, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said.

"Other than dividing up our land and resources for their cronies and using their brute majority in the parliament to airdrop laws to disempower our people, what has BJP done for us?" the PDP asked in its monthly newsletter SPEAK UP.

The party said Kashmir was grieving after the verdict of the Supreme Court upholding the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution.

Reacting to Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the "blunders" of Jawaharlal Nehru's handling of Kashmir, the party said Kashmir acceded to India only because of the country's first prime minister.

"Instead of ruminating over Jawaharlal Nehru's 'blunders’, the BJP needs to ask themselves what they have done for Indian Kashmir since they came to power in 2014.

"Perhaps, they regret losing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir because they couldn't treat it like the spoils of war. A quick lesson in history would tell them that it is because of Jawaharlal Nehru that Kashmir acceded to India," the party said in the English-language periodical.

Mining in Kashmir

The party, which has governed Jammu and Kashmir, quoted Arab poet Ansar Yawar to indicate that it did not have much hope from the BJP government at the Centre.

"Expecting a solution from those who created the web is like a bug asking the spider for its freedom, not realizing the purpose of the web," it added.

The PDP alleged that the extraction of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir will result in damage to ecology of the regions without any economic benefits for the locals.

"As Indian companies gear up to bid for the treasure trove of Kashmir's Lithium mines, a feeling of doom has gripped the region. If mining contracts are given to outsiders, limitless mining will inevitably damage the ecology and economy, but not before displacing local populations.

"The extraction of Lithium not only contaminates fresh water sources, but its harmful toxins also leach into fertile lands, making them unsuitable for agriculture. And after causing all this damage, the economic benefits will go to outsiders," the party said.

(With agency inputs)