SRINAGAR — In a fierce attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti accused the party of hypocrisy and political opportunism.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Bahu in support of PDP candidate Virendra Singh Sonu, Mehbooba claimed that Ram Madhav, a senior BJP leader, made desperate attempts to form a coalition government with her party after the 2014 elections.
As per the news agency Kashmir News Observer Correspondent, revealing behind-the-scenes details of the 2015 PDP-BJP alliance, Mehbooba Mufti stated, “For the first two months, Ram Madhav kept visiting my father, the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to strike a deal. Then for three months, he kept coming to me, practically begging to form the government. BJP accepted all of PDP’s conditions at that time, and only then did we agree to form a coalition.”
Mehbooba Mufti issued a strong statement about her party’s relevance in Jammu and Kashmir’s political landscape, asserting that no government could be formed in the region without the PDP’s support. Criticizing the BJP’s rhetoric about making a Chief Minister from Jammu, she challenged their claims: “They’ve ruled for five years—what have they done for Jammu?”
Mehbooba further lambasted the BJP for its governance post-August 5, 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was abrogated. She claimed that Jammu, in particular, has suffered severely since then, with rising unemployment and an increase in drug addiction. “After August 5, they didn’t even appoint a Lieutenant Governor from Jammu, while under PDP, key positions like the Chief Secretary, IG, and advisor were held by people from Jammu,” she added.
The PDP President urged voters to be wary of the BJP’s promises, which she described as empty slogans, and reiterated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve better governance. — (KNO)