'Mehbooba Should Also Resign; I Resigned So That PM Shouldn’t Get Hurt', Says Former BJP Minister Who Rallied For Kathua Accused

Former BJP Minister Lal Singh, who resigned on Friday, said he only stepped down from his position for the sake of the country. He also said that he lowered his head so that Prime Minister doesn't get hurt.

"I resigned so that PM shouldn’t get hurt. Along with me, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, should also resign," Singh was quoted as saying.

Singh further said he would support the three demands of the Jammu High Court Bar Association, that the case of the rape and murder of eight-year-old-girl be transferred to the CBI, that Rohingyas are to be removed from Jammu and minutes of meeting about tribals should be rescinded.   

Talking to a Jammu based newspaper on Saturday evening, he said, “I and Ganga Ji (Former Industries Minister Chander Prakash Ganga) have resigned to end the chaos in the country.”

“We didn’t attend the meeting of (Hindu Ekta Manch) on our own. Sat Pal Sharma, the party’s State president, phoned me. I was in the constituency. He told me that the migration has taken place in your district. He told us to visit the area and calm the situation. So we went there. We saw 5000 people there including children carrying bags and they were hungry. We heard them. They told us that they are being harassed (by the Crime Branch) and their houses are raided. They told us to let them (Crime Branch) arrest the whole village and put it in jail. They told us they were terrorized. The people told us they were against the murder of Asifa but they were for the CBI inquiry.”

He questioned the government’s move to hold the CBI inquiry in the case, saying, “Then they (the government) got police from Kashmir. Whether they got pandit or Muslim, we don’t go into it. But why should police from Kashmir come to inquire the case…what was the reason to bring police officials from Kashmir to investigate the case. Is police from Jammu incapable”, he asked.

“They (the Crime Branch) unnecessarily confused the case,” he said. 

He said why the government was afraid of the CBI inquiry. “May be they have made up the case. Have you ever seen 226 witnesses in any case? The 226 will not appear and they will rot in jail forever. Asifa’s murderer should be punished and the only way to it is the CBI inquiry”, he said.  

“We came back and reported the whole issue to the party. We met the Chief Minister and asked for the CBI probe. She refused, saying she will not do it. Everyone remained silent. I talked to her for ten minutes and told her the issue has become controversial and it should be given to the CBI. The inquiry will be on right track.”  

“Why not the CBI,” he asked. 

He said he resigned as the country was the first priority for him. “There is nothing above the country. Modi sahab shouldn’t get hurt by Choudhary Lal Singh’s name. I don’t care about the Forest Ministry. I resigned so that the Prime Minister’s shouldn’t lower his head. I have resigned. But now I am saying hold the CBI inquiry so that the case’s full investigation is done. What is truth and what is lie in it will come out.”    

“For five days the body of the girl (Asifa) was not located. Who is responsible? Only CM. Because she is the home minister. She should also resign”, he said.

“If she has guts, let her resign. We resigned so that the situation in the country doesn’t worsen. The communal harmony should remain in the country and we resigned for it.”