Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Gulam Nabi Azad today said the "rise" of BJP in the state was a worrying sign.

"It does worry me. These trends are the outcome of unfortunate things happened in July and August. The question is that secularism is getting shrunk at the cost of development," Azad said, adding that it should be "a worry for each and every Indian." "The rise of BJP in the border state which is facing terrorism is a worrying factor for the entire country," he said.

"Their only vision is to create communal tension among the people," Azad said. "They are being rejected across the country because of their communalism." In an apparent reference to the problems faced by Congress in its alliance with PDP, Azad said past experience would be taken into consideration while deciding the alliance partner. He refused to comment about any alliance possibility saying that it shall be decided at the highest level by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

When asked about his personal choice, the leader said that he would choose a party whose national and secular credentials are known. On the Amarnath land row, he said it was never a win-win situation for the Congress. "If we had withdrawn (the order of land allotment) one region would have erupted and if we had not not the other region would have. It is difficult to take a decision keeping all the three regions in mind," Azad, who was the chief minister when the row erupted this year, said.

Source : PTI