Mehbooba plays down rebellion
The PDP chief says ‘right wing forces are polluting atmosphere in the country’.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is trying hard to play down the growing rebellion within her party as more and more prominent faces are deserting the party. However, in desperation to save her face, she has started throwing wild allegations at BJP and “other right wing forces” for “creating an atmosphere in the country in which criminals are getting shelter under the umbrella of religion”.
Recently, Mufti appealed to Governor Satya Pal Malik to ensure that the alleged rapists of a 13-year-old girl in Ramsoo area of Ramban district be punished without any delay. In a tweet, she said that the victim was already bearing a three-month pregnancy while instead of punishing the guilty, people are asking about the girl’s religion and caste.
Referring to the Kathua rape and murder case, the PDP chief claimed, “Present atmosphere in the country had emboldened culprits to carry out such acts which are then justified on the basis of religion.”
Talking to the media recently, Mufti alleged that she was pressurised by her coalition partner BJP to go slow in the Kathua case, but claimed that she put her foot down and refused to hand over the case to the CBI. She claimed that BJP tried its best to get some concessions for the rapists but she refused to budge. BJP was not happy with the way she handled the case while a BJP minister from Jammu, along with many other MLAS of the region, tried to make it a public issue, she added.
Despite her putting up a brave front, Mufti is facing huge rebellion within the party and many prominent faces have left the party in the past few weeks. Among those who have already bid goodbye to PDP include former ministers, MLAS and MLCS.
The former Chief Minister recently came under sharp criticism from National Conference, BJP and Hurriyat Conference for visiting the families of militants in South Kashmir to express her sympathy. She had warned the Governor’s administration of agitation if police continued to “detain and torture” the family members of militants including women.