Source: The Sangai Express / PTI
Imphal, September 06, 2010:
Describing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as "worrisome", BJP top brass, led by LK Advani, today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded that Government should not dilute AFSPA or grant autonomy to the State as it would demoralise the security forces.
"The situation in Kashmir is getting worrisome.
The Home Minister had said in Parliament that the situation is very serious.
We emphasised during our meeting with the Prime Minister that Government should do nothing that would serve as encouragement to the separatists asking for azadi," Advani told reporters after the hour-long meeting.
Advani, who had sought the meeting, alleged that the Government stand on the issue has "weakened".
In the last 60 years, New Delhi has never shown such "weakness", he said.
"The situation in the State is slipping out of control.
It appears to us that the Central Government has no clear action plan to deal with the situation," the BJP memorandum said.
Advani was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, and Deputy Leader of BJP in the Upper House S S Ahluwalia.
The senior leader maintained that BJP informed the Prime Minister about its apprehension that in the name of a special package to the State, Centre may grant sops which would lower the morale of the security forces and warned that no such steps should be taken.
"Dilution of Army's presence in the Valley, dilution of the provisions of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, dilution of the Line of Control and allowing legitimacy to infiltration are only some examples of this kind," the BJP said in the memorandum submitted to the PM.
Advani stated that the security forces have made so many sacrifices but "are being demonised as if it(the current situation) was their fault".