SRINAGAR, May 6: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti accused the ruling National Conference (NC) of dragging religious scripture into politics to obscure governmental failures. Addressing reporters in Srinagar, she emphasized the NC’s misuse of religious texts to deflect attention from pressing issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir residents.
Mufti expressed her discontent, stating, “For God’s sake, do not drag Quran into politics. They (NC) are doing this to hide their failures over the past two years of being in government. People are disheartened with them.” The former chief minister’s comments came in response to an NC demand that she and her MLAs affirm they did not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the Rajya Sabha polls in October last year.
The controversy arose following a Right to Information (RTI) response revealing that the PDP had not designated a chief agent for the Rajya Sabha elections. This absence led to allegations from the NC that the PDP’s three MLAs had voted in favor of the BJP, igniting tensions between the two parties.
Mufti firmly charged the National Conference with attempting to distract the public from its shortcomings, stating, “Houses are being demolished under the garb of fighting drugs. Earlier the same thing was done under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Employees are being summarily dismissed while open merit students are going through tormenting times.”
She criticized the NC’s governance, asserting that the ruling party has primarily acted as a “mute spectator” to the distress faced by the citizens. Furthermore, she urged the NC to engage in political contestation on substantive issues, rather than resorting to the politicization of religious texts.
Mufti’s remarks resonated with many who feel a growing discontent with the current state of governance in Jammu and Kashmir. The ongoing debate reflects deeper societal concerns related to employment, housing, and the impact of government policies on local communities.
