JAMMU – The BJP on Thursday hit out at senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for his remarks that democracy does not exist in Jammu and Kashmir, saying he is “mentally bankrupt”.

Azad on Wednesday had said there is no democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and people are living in fear after the Centre scrapped the state’s special status on August 5.

“Ghulam Nabi Azad is mentally bankrupt who says there is no more democracy in J and K after the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the state,” senior state BJP leader and MLC Ramesh Arora told reporters here.

He said Azad should respect the majority’s decision that supported the revoking of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories.

“In fact, Azad is speaking such words which kills the basic spirit of democracy. Pakistan is projecting this view point at the international level as it suits them,” Arora said.

The Congress leadership has “failed” to understand the gravity of the situation, the BJP leader added.

“Azad should explain why the Kashmir issue was taken to the UN by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and why his party did not have the courage to solve the internal issue itself,” he said.

“Azad should explain why democracy was killed in 1975 when Sheikh Abdullah was installed as chief minister of J and K when the Congress headed by Syed Mir Qasim was in power. It was the murder of democracy,” Arora said.

He also charged Azad over the imposition of Emergency in 1975 by the Congress government at the Centre.

Arora said the BJP government has taken a decision to “correct the blunders committed by the Congress leadership from time to time”.

“Abrogation of Article 370 was welcomed in the country,” he added.

Azad, while talking to the media as he concluded his six-day tour of the state on Wednesday, had said, “Democracy is nowhere in the state after the change in its status. It has vanished from the state.”

“There is disappointment in Kashmir and the despair is also prevalent among the people in Jammu province. Except 100 or 200 people of the ruling party (BJP), nobody is happy (over the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories),” the former chief minister had told reporters before leaving for Delhi.

Azad had on Tuesday arrived in Jammu from Srinagar.

He had reached the state’s summer capital on Friday on his maiden visit to the Valley after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.  (PTI)