Srinagar, Aug 17 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) on Monday launched a sharp attack on former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over her “dimagi Naxal” remark, alleging that her People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was itself responsible for the political developments that eventually led to the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The JKNC claimed that had the PDP not entered into an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, would not have taken place in 2019.
The remarks came after Mehbooba Mufti said that she considers herself a “dimagi Naxal” because of her continued support for Article 370 and her opposition to its abrogation.
Speaking to IANS, JKNC Chief Spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq recalled that the National Conference had warned against bringing the BJP into government in Jammu and Kashmir, citing the party’s stated position on Article 370.
Tanvir Sadiq questioned Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks, stating, “A Chief Minister or a former Chief Minister, if she uses something that she is herself responsible for, it sounds very amusing, because if you remember that when 2014 election results had come, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that ‘we will give unconditional support to you, do not bring BJP because in their manifesto, the abrogation of Article 370 is there’.”
According to Sadiq, despite the warning, the PDP went ahead and formed a coalition government with the BJP after the 2014 Assembly elections.
“Everybody knows that what happened in 2019 was because of that alliance. Had they not formed an alliance with the BJP, 2019 would never have happened. These are just crocodile tears. Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba is the first person responsible for 2019,” he added.
The political controversy over the expression “dimagi Naxal” originated from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address, during which he warned that despite significant progress in tackling armed Naxalism, a more subtle form of the ideology continued to pose a challenge to the country.
–IANS
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