Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Monday said he stands by his statement on violence-free polls in the state.
Reacting to the controversy about his comment, he said, "I've said what I've said and I stand by that. The media is making a mountain out of a molehill."
Mr Sayeed, on Sunday, had said in his first media conference after being sworn in as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister that had Pakistan, Hurriyat and the militants tried to disrupt elections in the state last year, there would not have been good participation. "I want to say on record and I have told this to the Prime Minister, that we must credit the Hurriyat, Pakistan and militant outfits for the conduct of assembly elections in the state," he had said.
The BJP and Mr Sayeed's party, both ideological opposites, came together to form government in Jammu and Kashmir after difficult negotiations to bridge differences that have divided them for decades.
The home minister said he was making the statement after discussing it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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