New Delhi: Congress on August 31 accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "misleading" the nation on Jammu and Kashmir alleging that its "flip-flop" policies on the sensitive border state was responsible for the prevailing "confusion" in the state.

"BJP as a party is lost and confused when it comes to Kashmir. This government itself is responsible for confounding confusion by its knee-jerk reaction, lack of vision and conflicting statements emanating from the highest level of the government," party spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters.

He was responding to queries by reporters about BJP charge that Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom party leader Shabir Shah changed his statement on August 30 with regard to participating in the state Assembly elections after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"From the initiatives of K C Pant to Arun Jaitley, the patronage given to the Kashmir Committee and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) demand for trifurcation of the state, all indicates the mess their policies have created," he said.

Shah met Gandhi and apprised her about the "position and desire" to work for resolution of Jammu and Kashmir problems through peaceful negotiations, Sharma said.

Gandhi, he said, appreciated Shah's sentiment of conciliation and also informed him that Congress was keen that the elections in the state were held in a free and fair manner to the satisfaction of all the participating political parties.

"In this backdrop, the BJP charge is yet another step to mislead the nation. We wonder how they claim so when Shah and other leaders waiting in Delhi had to return without getting an appointment with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani," he added.

PTI