The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are caught in a war of words and exchange of list of “terrorists”, who are members of each other’s parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

Both sides have come up with the names of each other’s party functionaries accused of links or the past association with terrorist groups.

The unusual tit-for-tat started after BJP accused Mehraj Malik, AAP MLA who was recently detained under the Public Safety Act, for glorifying Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016.

AAP hit back with a list of BJP office bearers in Jammu and Kashmir with alleged terror-links.

Sanjay Singh, senior AAP leader and MP, has rubbished the BJP claims on Malik. 

He pulled out a list of BJP functionaries, some of them party district presidents in Jammu and Kashmir, with an alleged terrorist past.

Mr Singh termed them as “retired terrorists who have been inducted in BJP”.

The AAP leader visited Srinagar few days ago to protest against the arrest of Mehraj Malik. The police, however, disallowed him to hold protest or address a press conference in Srinagar.

Mr Singh said BJP knew what was coming and that’s the reason he was not allowed to hold a press conference in Srinagar.

The AAP MP also showed the picture of a BJP functionary, who turned out to be a Lashkar terrorist.

Talib Hussain Shah, head of BJP’s IT cell for Minority Morcha in Jammu, had turned out to be a wanted Lashkar terrorist in July 2022. 

He was captured by villagers in Reasi along with his one accomplice. 

A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from him. 

According to police, Talib Hussain Shah was involved in a series of terror-related incidents in the region.

BJP today hit out at AAP and Sanjay Singh. 

Besides showing a list 22 FIRs against Mr Singh, the BJP said an AAP candidate in the last assembly elections in J&K had terrorist links, who was also jailed under Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA).

In a press conference, BJP spokesman Abhijeet Jasrotia, rebuffed Sanjay Singh’s claim that BJP leader Fayaz Ahmad Najar was a terrorist. 

Jasrotia said, it was some other Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, not BJPs Najar who had terrorist links. 

The party spokesman, however, remained silent over terror allegations by AAP against other members of the party.

The BJP also mentioned some AAP leaders having alleged links with pro-Khalistani terrorists and anti-India forces.