ANOTHER MLA SLAMS PARTY CHIEF MEHBOOBA

SRINAGAR: A day after two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators revolted against the party and the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, another MLA, this time from Gulmarg, has come in support of them and expressed unhappiness with the party and its leadership.

“I am with Imran Reza Ansari. Whatever he will do, I will support him,’’ Abass Wani, a legislator from Gulmarg, said on Tuesday. Wani told HT that accusations against former CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti are 100% correct.

Former education minister, Imran Reza Ansari, who is legislator from Pattan in north Kashmir, and his uncle Abid Ansari, who is a legislator from Zadibal, had said they were not a part of the PDP headed by Mehboobaand blamed her for misgovernance and family fiefdom in the party.

The PDP has 29 MLAs in the J&K assembly and Wani is the third MLA, who has gone against the party openly since it lost power after the BJP withdrew its support. Imran Reza Ansari had on Monday said many legislators were against the family rule in the party and will support him.

According to the sources, more PDP MLAs could deflect from the party and join this new group that is taking shaping within the PDP. “Three legislators have come in open but there are many more legislators who can join them,’’ a senior PDP leader said, adding that if Delhi (Centre) wants to break the PDP, it is not a big deal for them. They will adopt the same technique which they did in other states to grab power.

The PDP has, however, maintained silence and Mehbooba has told her close associates to remain calm and watch the developments. HTC