Army should not withdraw from J&K: BJP

Claiming that troop reduction in some areas of Jammu and Kashmir has led to a crisis, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said the Centre should not withdraw forces from the Valley as long as terrorist activities in India are being operated from Pakistan soil.

"The prime minister had assured that the army would not be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir but in the last three months the forces were withdrawn, because of which a crisis had emerged in Rajouri and Doda areas," BJP president Rajnath Singh told media persons in Raipur.

"Army is being withdrawn to save a government (in Jammu and Kashmir). But no such steps should be taken, which could push the country into a crisis," he warned.

"As long as terrorist activities in India are being operated from the Pakistan territory, the Army should not be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir," Singh said, adding, "I warn the prime minister that no such steps should be taken for which the country will pay a big price."   

"The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance had no plan on Jammu and Kashmir... Rather it had a callous attitude towards the state," the BJP leader alleged.

He also claimed that the Centre was not 'serious' on the country's internal security.

The BJP president said that the Opposition should be taken into confidence on matters concerning the country's internal security.

"The Centre is not taking it (internal security) as a challenge and we believe the government has an ulterior motive for which it is not taking any action," he said.

"On the internal security, there was every need to take stricter actions, but instead of doing that the Centre abolished the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act," Singh said, alleging that the Centre was involved in 'appeasement politics.'

The POTA was abolished without bringing in any other similar act, which clearly reflected that the Centre was involved in 'appeasement politics,' the BJP president said.

He also blamed the Manmohan Singh government for the 'increasing' Naxal menace in the country.

"Naxalite menace is not confined to Chhattisgarh alone. But despite several demands the Centre was not coming up with an integrated action plan on the Left-wing extremism," he said.

Although he avoided a direct reply to the Rani Bodli incident, in which 55 policemen were killed by Naxalites on March 15 in the state, the BJP president claimed that the situation in the state was under control due to the government's action plan on Naxalites.