Mehbooba Mufti regrets trusting PM Modi, says 'will not accept any flag unless J&K flag is brought back'

She also alleged that the ruling BJP at the Centre was trying to replace the constitution of the country with its party manifesto

Former chief minister and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that she regretted reposing faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi even as she asserted that she will not raise any flag till the flag of Jammu and Kashmir is returned.

Addressing her first presser after being released earlier this month, she alleged that the ruling BJP at the Centre was trying to replace the constitution of the country with its party manifesto.

“Our fight is not confined for the restoration of Article 370, but for the resolution of Kashmir issue as well. Kashmir issue is an issue and nobody can turn their eye blind towards it,” Mehbooba said.

While putting out the flag of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in the presser, she added that “those who think we will forget Article 370 are living in fool’s paradise. People have given a lot of sacrifices and we won’t allow the sacrifices to go waste.”

The state flag along with her party flag was displayed in front of her while she was addressing the presser at her official Gupkar residence in Srinagar.

The 61-year-old former CM parroted National Conference president and another former CM, Farooq Abdullah’s views on China, saying that Beijing speaks of Article 370 too, “calling it disputed and asking why it was made UT?”

Asked whether she has any regret of forging an alliance with the BJP, she said that she regretted posing faith in the Prime Minister who belonged to a party of which A B Vajpayee was also a part. PDP was running an alliance government with the BJP from March 2015 to June 2018 in J&K.

The PDP president also alleged that the BJP had demolished the country’s constitution and “had been implementing anti-people acts.” However, she said that the current era of ‘authoritarian’ rule will also not sustain forever, saying that Hitler’s rule also culminated.

“Anyone who is raising his or her voice over the abrogation of Article 370 is being suppressed. The fact is that the government has failed to come up with the expectations of people over development, employment, and other mandatory issues and to divert the attention, the government is blocking minorities and also Kashmiris,” she said in her first press conference, 11 days after she was released from 14-month-long detention.

Mehbooba asserted that their fight was not confined for the restoration of Article 370, “but for the resolution of Kashmir issue as well. Kashmir issue is an issue and nobody can turn their eye blind towards it.”

She added that she will be the first person among the leaders to give her blood for this cause in case the need arises. “We (leaders) are united and people should also fight it in unison. It is not the fight of Dr Farooq, Sajad Lone, or any other leader. But of one and all,” the PDP president added.

Mehbooba along with dozens of high-profile politicians in Kashmir was arrested hours before the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A by the Center on August 5 last year.