BJP Lost Its J&K Gamble By Aligning With PDP: Subramanian Swamy

“The J&K CM should be a Hindu. The convention of a Muslim always being the CM is wrong,” Subramanian Swamy said.

BJP lawmaker Subramanian Swamy spoke to The Quint’s Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia.

(Photo: The Quint)

“The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir should have been a Hindu,” BJP lawmaker Subramanian Swamy said, in the wake of the bitter break-up of the three-year-old alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) on 19 June.

In an exclusive interview with The Quint’s Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia, the Rajya Sabha MP criticised his party, saying that the BJP’s move to align with the PDP was a “gamble that led to their defeat in Jammu and Kashmir”.

“It has always been the BJP’s belief that the party has a good number of MLAs. On the basis of this, it needs to work towards a majority in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly,” he said.

The J&K Chief Minister should have been a Hindu. The convention of a Muslim always holding the chief ministerial post is wrong.

Subramanian Swamy, BJP lawmaker

“I had warned of potential repercussions of the alliance between the two parties. Everything that I have said has gradually come true. With the brutal killing of journalist Shujaat Bukhari, limits have been crossed,” he said.

Levelling allegations against Mehbooba Mufti’s capabilities, he said:

The December 1989 abduction of Rubaiya Sayeed, Mehbooba Mufti’s sister, was concocted so to let the militants walk free. 

Subramanian Swamy, BJP lawmaker

(The exclusive interview has been translated from Quint Hindi)