MP quits PDP, Parliament

“My heart is bleeding and my soul is crying for the people of my homeland”. “I am resigning from the basic membership of PDP as a mark of protest against civilian killings in Kashmir”, quoted him as saying. “I feel still continuing with them would be equally subscribing to the administratively inhuman and politically unethical blunders”.

The 61-year-old MP, had defeated National Conference president and former Union Minister Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar- Budgam parliamentary seat in 2014. “The launch of this new political dispensation was on the premise as facilitators rather than collaborators or obstructionists for the permanent, peaceful and everlasting resolution of Kashmir issue”.

Karra was opposed to the alliance between Peoples Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party in Jammu and Kashmir but has resigned citing failure of the government to deal with ongoing unrest in the state.

He said he would be submitting his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s office tomorrow after which he would be deciding on the future course of action. “And as a mark of protest on moral grounds against brutal policies of the BJP at the centre and state government’s complete sell-out and surrender before them, I have made a decision to disassociate myself from the primary membership of the party and from the membership of parliament to which I was elected from Srinagar parliamentary constituency on the PDP ticket”, he said.

“Three wars and towering leaders couldn’t resolve the Kashmir issue in the last 70 years and blaming Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for it will be asking too much from her. I was opposing the alliance for last 16 months and I say it with pain that I have failed”, he said, adding that he was not resigning out of any “compulsion or convenience but because of conviction”.

“Curfew remains imposed in Rajouri town”. The separatists are also giving prolonged strike calls. An investigation has been initiated into the incident by the police, under SSP Rajeshwar Singh. He has been of the opinion that the ministers in the state government were inexperienced and did not have a clear vision of Kashmir.

There was no official word as to what transpired during the Governor’s 30-minute meeting with the Prime Minister but it is believed that he apprised him about the situation as well as steps being taken for restoring the law and order.

Terming the state government’s handling of the current unrest as “genocide” in which hundreds have been blinded and maimed, he said it has “exposed the tall claims of the Government of India and the state government regarding their democratic character”.