NC afraid of talking about Article 370, running BJP agenda: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti

Rajouri/Jammu: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the National Conference, claiming that the ruling party is afraid of talking about Article 370 and is running the BJP agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.

She asked the people to strengthen her party as “it not only wants to become the voice of the people of J-K but also raise the voice for the oppressed Muslim community in the country”.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was in Rajouri, where she addressed a public gathering besides holding a series of meetings with party workers, during her first visit to the region after the PDP's poor performance in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections last year.

While Mehbooba herself lost from the Rajouri-Anantnag parliamentary constituency, only three PDP candidates successfully contested the assembly elections.

“As far as the performance of this (NC-led government) is concerned, we do not expect them to do everything in six months but we regret that some important things like the Waqf bill happened and they failed to live up to people’s expectations,” the PDP chief told reporters.

She said her party was hoping that J-K being a Muslim majority region would pass a resolution in the assembly to lodge a strong protest against the Act. “We were left disappointed when (NC president) Farooq Abdullah and his son (chief minister Omar Abdullah) welcomed the Union minister (Kiren Rijiju) who tabled the bill in the (Tulip) garden in Srinagar.” The National Conference had already clarified that it was a chance meeting.

“They talked about 12 free LPG cylinders, 200 free electricity units and one lakh jobs in their election manifesto. We know it takes some time but there has been no headway in that direction,” Mufti said, adding that there was no difference between the Lt Governor-led administration and the government led by the National Conference.

She said roads, water and electricity were also being provided by the LG-led administration with some people saying it was done "in a better manner".

“The people have high hopes with this government which has 50 MLAs and made it clear that it will not go for any type of confrontation with the centre.

“Omar is silent on the issue of dismissal of government employees, mass arrests, release or at least shifting of prisoners languishing in jails outside J-K or regularisation of daily wagers,” the PDP leader said.

On the recent controversy over former R&AW chief A S Dulat’s latest book, Mehbooba Mufti claimed he is close to Abdullah family and is trying to bring them close to BJP. “It is a fact that NC and its leadership can ditch anyone for a chair.” “They are afraid of talking about Article 370 and the fact is that they are running a BJP narrative about restoration of statehood. The NC deliberately stalled discussion on various important resolutions and bills which shows its intentions,” she said.

Mufti said the PDP held protests all across Kashmir against the Waqf Amendment Act and also moved to the Supreme Court which had given some sort of relief to the Muslims. She expressed the hope that the apex court would respect the Muslim sentiments and reject this law.

Earlier addressing the gathering, the PDP chief urged the people to strengthen her party.

“Our party not only wants to become the voice of the people of J-K but also to the entire Muslim community in the country,” she said.

“Gandhi’s India is changing and the lives of Muslims are being made miserable. It was our responsibility, being the Muslim majority region, to stand up in support of the oppressed Muslims of the country. NC with 50 MLAs was supposed to pass a resolution against the Waqf Amendment Act but it failed thus putting a blot on the forehead of Kashmiri Muslims,” she said.

She alleged that NC had "always betrayed both the people and the central government" since 1947.

The PDP chief also accused the NC of breaking the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomerate of half a dozen parties formed in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

“My intention was to stand up together against the atrocities. What happened to PAGD is history,” she said.

She said the Muslims in J-K are secular in character and therefore decided to join India where the majority of Hindus are also secular.

She also said she "is a proud Muslim and will not tolerate interference by any government in religious affairs".