The three-year-old BJP-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir collapsed on Tuesday after BJP pulled out of its alliance with the PDP setting the stage for eighth round of Governor’s rule in the state in the last four decades. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who resigned soon after the announcement, said her party would not enter into any other alliance to stay in the government, and that “muscular security policy” would not work in J-K.

The PDP called the BJP’s decision a surprise, which came after the BJP high command summoned its Jammu and Kashmir ministers for emergency consultations in New Delhi. Mehbooba Mufti submitted her resignation to Governor N N Vohra moments after BJP general secretary Ram Madhav made the announcement.

Speaking to the media later, Mufti said, “We will continue to strive for dialogue and reconciliation in J-K.” She said the alliance with the BJP was not for power.

Raising the bogey of Article 370, under which the state enjoys a special status, and unilateral ceasefire, Mufti said the “muscular security policy” would not work in the state, adding that the healing touch policy of PDP was the only policy that would work.

READ | BJP pulls out of alliance with PDP, J-K CM Mehbooba Mufti resigns

“I am not shocked as this alliance was never for power. PDP never believes in power politics and we worked for the people,” she told reporters after an hour-long meeting with her ministers and party workers at her residence.

She said J&K should not be treated as enemy territory and any situation could be solved only through dialogue.

“We had always said muscular security policy will not work in J-K, reconciliation is key,” she said.

Mufti said the Ramzan ceasefire was announced by Home Minister Rajnath Singh as a goodwill gesture but it was not reciprocated by the local elements.

“The alliance was about dialogue, unilateral ceasefire and making sure the Prime Minister open dialogue with Pakistan and open various routes to talk to Pakistan. We took back cases against 11,000 stonepelters, we have tried the best from our side to continue,” she said.

READ | National Conference not to support PDP to form government in J-K

The outgoing CM said the biggest apprehension was Articles 35A and 370. “In the last three years, we defended these Articles in courts. My government took every step to safeguard these special status provisions,” she said.

Mufti said she had told the governor that her party would not go into any other alliance.

“The alliance with the BJP was part of a bigger vision. It took us many months to form an alliance whose prime focus was reconciliation and dialogue. We took many months to form a common agenda,” she said.

Mufti said her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had entered into this alliance, thinking that BJP was a big party and PM Narendera Modi had got a big mandate. “It took a lot of time to come to an agenda of alliance, whose main objective was reconciliation and dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir. We wanted confidence-building measures in Kashmir,” she said.

Earlier, addressing a hurriedly called press conference, Ram Madhav said, ”It has become untenable for the BJP to continue in the alliance government in the state.”

READ | Opposition slams BJP, PDP says decision a surprise

While pollsters immediately started speculating about the future of Mehbooba Mufti’s government, counting the numbers stacked in the state, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, whose party is the third biggest in the assembly, was quick to announce that NC would not extend support to the PDP government.

“I wish Mehbooba Mufti had resigned herself… instead of the having the rug pulled from under her feet,” he said.

The Congress too said it would not form an alliance with any party to form government in the state.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the BJP had committed a “Himalayan blunder” by forming a government with the PDP.

He said the BJP, a national party, should not have allied with PDP, a regional player.

“The regional parties should have been allowed to form an alliance among themselves,” he told reporters.

The BJP had won 25 seats and the PDP 28 in the 87-member assembly and formed an alliance two months after the December 2014 elections. The NC has 15 seats, the Congress 12 and others seven.

Immediately after Madhav’s press conference, senior PDP minister and chief spokesperson Naeem Akhthar told reporters in Srinagar that the BJP’s decision had caught the party by surprise.

The BJP blamed the PDP for failing to improve the security conditions in Kashmir. Madhav cited last week’s killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari in the heart of Srinagar in the highly secured area of Press Enclave by unidentified gunmen. The same day — two days before Eid — an Army rifleman was abducted while going on Eid leave and killed.

“Keeping in mind that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and in order to control the prevailing situation in the state, we have decided that the reins of power in the state be handed over to the governor,” Madhav added.

BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta told reporters in Delhi that he and his ministerial colleagues had submitted their resignations.

“Centre did everything for the Valley. We’ve tried to put a full-stop to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan. PDP has not been successful in fulfilling its promises. Our leaders have been facing a lot of difficulties from PDP in developmental works in Jammu and Ladakh,” Madhav said.

“We are not questioning the intentions of PDP but they have failed in improving the condition of life in Kashmir,” he added.

(With agency inputs)