Srinagar: A phone call by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravinder Raina to disgruntled National Conference MLA Abdul Majeed Larmi has triggered a fresh political storm in Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the internal dissatisfaction within the ruling National Conference into the spotlight and escalating the war of words between the BJP and the NC.
The controversy erupted after Raina reportedly contacted Larmi following the recent cabinet expansion by the Omar Abdullah-led government. During the conversation, Raina is said to have assured the NC MLA not to worry amid the political developments within his party. The outreach has drawn a sharp reaction from deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary, who issued a direct warning to BJP leaders, making it clear that he would not remain silent if they continued approaching National Conference legislators amid the reported discontent.
Choudhary indicated that such political moves would be taken seriously, intensifying the confrontation between the two parties. His remarks come at a time when the National Conference is facing questions over dissatisfaction among some of its legislators following the cabinet reshuffle.
The recent cabinet expansion has reportedly left several NC leaders disappointed, with Abdul Majeed Larmi also among those expressing resentment over the developments. The BJP has now found itself at the centre of the controversy after Raina’s interaction with the disgruntled MLA.
However, defending his phone call, Ravinder Raina clarified that Larmi was his colleague when both were legislators in 2014. He maintained that the call was merely a courtesy gesture to enquire about his well-being and had no political motive.
But the political implications of the episode have become a subject of intense discussion in Jammu and Kashmir. The timing of the call, coming amid reported differences within the ruling National Conference, has raised questions over whether the BJP is seeking to politically capitalise on the situation.
The controversy assumes added significance in view of previous statements by BJP leaders questioning the longevity of the Omar Abdullah-led government and suggesting that the government could fall before completing its tenure.
With the BJP defending Raina’s outreach as a personal gesture and the deputy chief minister issuing a stern warning, the episode has opened another front in the BJP-NC political confrontation.
The big question now is whether Raina’s phone call was merely a courtesy call to an old political colleague or whether it signals a new political strategy amid growing discontent within the ruling National Conference.
