Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 3: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today accused the National Conference (NC) of deliberately fostering “manufactured mistrust” in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging it eroded democratic credibility and contributed to the rise of terrorism in the region.
Responding to recent remarks by Dr Farooq Abdullah, BJP J&K spokesperson Danish Bhat said the trust deficit “was not organic” but consciously cultivated by the NC leadership to retain political control and evade accountability.
He identified the 1987 Assembly elections as a turning point, alleging that “widely acknowledged” electoral manipulation involving the NC, backed by the Indian National Congress, undermined democratic institutions.
According to Bhat, the erosion of public faith in the aftermath created conditions for the emergence of terrorism, with civilians bearing the brunt of prolonged violence and instability.
The BJP spokesperson also accused the NC of repeated ideological shifts, citing its abandonment of the Plebiscite Front after attaining power and its subsequent dismissal as “Siyasi Awaragardi.”
He said such reversals reflect a pattern of mobilising public sentiment for political gain and discarding it thereafter.
Bhat further alleged that the party promoted a narrative of political distance between Kashmir and New Delhi to project a single political family as the sole intermediary.
According to him, this enabled a concentration of authority while shielding corruption, unchecked wealth accumulation and preferential allocation of resources to a narrow political elite.
He said recurring cycles of unrest acted as a “political shield,” allowing those in power to avoid scrutiny even as governance deficits deepened.
Public assets and opportunities, he claimed, were cornered by a select class, while large sections of the population faced unemployment, limited economic mobility and administrative neglect.
Abdullah had earlier stated that “mistrust” between New Delhi and Kashmir was the “biggest tragedy for this nation.”
Accusing the NC of diverting attention from governance failures, Bhat said the party continues to invoke Pakistan and recycle the narrative of mistrust at a time when it is facing growing public disillusionment.
He pointed to unfulfilled promises-including free electricity, job creation, LPG support and the filling of vacant government posts-as indicators of poor delivery.
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