BJP used Kashmiri Pandits' pain as 'weapon' to garner votes across India, says Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar, Apr 9: The BJP has used the Kashmiri Pandit community's pain and suffering as a "weapon" to garner votes across the country, People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged on Tuesday.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) president was speaking after visiting the residence of Roshan Lal, a Kashmiri Pandit and a photojournalist who died last month, in the city's Abi Guzar area.
"The BJP has not only used the Kashmiri Pandits as a vote bank but as a weapon as well. It has used the pain of the Kashmiri Pandits as a weapon and then used that weapon to garner the votes of others," she alleged.
"The Pandit community does not have so many votes themselves but the BJP used their pain and suffering and went around seeking votes in their name, without doing anything for them," she told reporters.
Mehbooba, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state, said since the BJP-led Centre began to directly administer Jammu and Kashmir, "even those Kashmiri Pandits who used to live here have left because the situation became such".
The PDP chief said Lal was a close friend of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and lived in the Valley despite the situation that is portrayed in some films, referring to "The Kashmir Files".
"Kashmiris are defamed across the country, films are made about them. I think Lal living here amid brotherhood is the answer to those films. There was a huge rush of people to pay their condolences after Lal's death. This is the biggest example of brotherhood," she added.
Lal living in the Valley in a "very difficult situation" was a lesson for the country's Hindu community, Mehbooba said.
"What is happening in the country -- the way people from our community are lynched, killed, beaten up, our mosques and madrassas demolished, homes are demolished. The people of our country, our Hindu brethren, are secular. They don't believe in this, this is a lesson for them that Lal lived here in very difficult times and that Muslims and Hindus are ready to live here as they used to," she said.
Speaking on the return of the Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley, Mehbooba said the community does not need the help of any government.
"Our Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters living in Jammu or elsewhere in very difficult circumstances, I think they don't need help from anyone to settle here -- whether the government is of the BJP or Mehbooba Mufti or someone else. The people of Kashmir want the Kashmiri Pandits to return," she said.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
