3 PDP leaders resign after Mufti’s tricolour remarks

SRINAGAR: Three leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have resigned citing Mehbooba Mufti’s “actions and undesirable utterances”, according to news agency ANI on Monday. The PDP leaders TS Bajwa, Ved Mahajan and Hussain A Waffa, who resigned from the PDP, wrote to party president Mufti citing their reasons.

According to ANI, they said in the letter that they are “feeling quite uncomfortable over some of her actions and undesirable utterances especially which hurt patriotic sentiments”.

Mufti had said last week that her party’s members would not raise the tricolour unless they are allowed to raise the flag of Jammu and Kashmir, the right to which had been conferred on the erstwhile state by the nowdefunct Article 370 of the Constitution.

The PDP president, who was recently released from detention, said the relationship of J-K with the national tricolour was not independent of the erstwhile state flag. “When this flag comes in our hand, we will also raise that (Indian) flag as well.” Mufti had said J&K’s flag had been taken away by “dacoits.”

She has also joined the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a grouping of six political parties in Jammu and

Kashmir. National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah has been as its chairperson and Mufti his deputy, giving

shape to an alliance that they have formed to demand the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status.

MEHBOOBA MUFTI HAD SAID LAST WEEK THAT HER PARTY’S MEMBERS WOULD NOT RAISE THE TRICOLOUR UNLESS THEY ARE ALLOWED TO RAISE THE FLAG OF J&K, THE RIGHT TO WHICH WAS CONFERRED BY ARTICLE 370