Political rivalry between two mainstream parties National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kashmir has taken a new turn after the dismissal of Mehbooba Mufti led coalition Government. A day after she sought to rediscover her party’s local politics based on slogans of dialogue with Pakistan and separatists, her rival and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah dismissed her rhetoric saying Mehbooba’s “new theatrical drama was aimed at covering her disastrous, unjust and corrupt tenure.”
Mehbooba during a public rally on Saturday urged upon Government of India to respond positively to Imran Khan’s offer for dialogue to settle Kashmir issue. She emotively referred to killings during her tenure and told her audience that she felt pained on the situation and never smiled during her tenure.
In response to her speech, Dr Abdullah during two separate gatherings of his party workers said that Mehbooba Mufti as Chief Minister behaved as the Chief Tormentor of Kashmiris and left no stone unturned to persecute the people of the State politically and economically.
“Mehbooba Mufti’s latest theatrical performance amounts to adding insult to injury. Her crocodile tears have no takers in Kashmir. The people remember clearly how she clung on to power despite being sidelined and humiliated by her allies repeatedly over the course of the last four years and how she surrendered every aspect of the institution of the CM’s office to the BJP. The youth of the State witnessed an unprecedented reign of persecution and harassment under her rule and her party went above and beyond the call of their duty to the BJP in helping them inflict irreparable damage on the State’s autonomy and special status,” Abdullah said.
“Where were Mehbooba Mufti’s tears when young children were being blinded by pelletsIJ At that time we saw a different face of Mehbooba Mufti and the PDP — a face of arrogance, ruthlessness, and sadism. Had Mehbooba Mufti been guided by morality and empathy, she would have resigned as the Chief Minister long back and wouldn’t have waited to be sacked so unceremoniously by the BJP without even informing her. After late Mufti Sahab passed away —Mehbooba Mufti resorted to the same theatrical tactics and said she wouldn’t continue in an alliance with the BJP unless the BJP takes a political initiative towards Kashmir. We all remember how she got on a plane and rushed to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, where she agreed to work on the same terms and conditions after leaders from her party tried to overthrow her,” he said.
Dr Farooq Abdullah said PDP was a party that was foisted on the people through clandestine and covert machinations to fragment the voice of the people. “PDP was, is and will remain a Trojan Horse that has been engineered within J&K to weaken the State internally and to launch an assault on our resolve to fight for J&K’s political dignity and rights. No amount of drama can change this reality. The people of the State have realised how PDP has taken the State back into turmoil, uncertainty, and disempowerment,” the NC President further said.
Independent legislator Sheikh Rashid also lambasted against Mehbooba Mufti and urged her to stop the theatrics to win sympathy of the people and losing power.