Amarnath land row: PDP pulls out of coalition in J&K

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The Congress-led coalition Government was reduced to a minority with its junior partner, People's Democratic Party (PDP), pulling out over the issue of transfer of land to Amarnath shrine board.

"There was lot of trouble going on over the issue of land transfer to the shrine board. We could not wait till the June 30 deadline," PDP President Mehbooba Mufti told reporters after a two-hour meeting of party legislators.

"We have pulled out of the Government and submitted a letter to the Governor in this regard," Mehbooba said.

PDP has 18 MLAs in the 87-member state assembly while Congress has 21 members. The coalition has the support of eight independent MLAs and two CPM legislators.

She said the decision was taken by the party as it cannot be insensitive to the problems and crises being faced by the people.

"In view of the ever deepening crisis, it is our moral duty to disassociate from the government," Mehbooba read from a letter written to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Resignations of PDP ministers from his council of ministers were also handed over.

She said her party did what it felt was right as "our people were getting killed" in protests over the transfer of forest land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

"We fail to understand why Azad passed the order in the Cabinet despite opposition by (PDP patron) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. There were several fights during Cabinet meetings over the issue and the chief minister just kept on watching," she said.

Mehbooba said she was called by the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan over the issue.

"They told me that they will find a way out. I told them you find a way out so that all the gains made over the past few years in terms of peace and reconciliation would be lost," she added.