Setback to alliance: BJP

JAMMU: PDP’s partner in ruling coalition in the state, BJP today termed Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's decision to sack Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu from her Cabinet a "setback" to the alliance between the two parties and said it would widen the gap between the two allies.

A top BJP leader in New Delhi praised Drabu's role in coordination between the two parties and said he was often the bridge between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Centre over a host of issues.

"It is a setback to the alliance," the BJP leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. He also recalled that Drabu played an important role in the formulation of the GST.

It may be mentioned that Drabu was a key PDP pointsman in setting the contours of its alliance with the BJP in 2015, playing the role akin to BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav.