Ex-RAW chief's revelations nothing new: Mehbooba on Abdullah's 'support' for Art 370 abrogation
Srinagar (PTI): Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said she was not surprised by the revelations made by ex-RAW chief A S Dulat in his latest book about National Conference president Farooq Abdullah "privately' supporting the abrogation of Article 370.
"Dulat's revelations are nothing new for me. This father-son duo (Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah) went to meet them (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) on August 3 (2019). Farooq Sahib did not even go to Parliament (on August 5, 2019). He stayed back. So there is nothing surprising for me," Mufti said while addressing a PDP workers' convention here.
Article 370 granting special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated by the Centre on August 5, 2019.
Mufti also claimed that in 2014, Omar Abdullah met Amit Shah for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.
"He told Shah not to form a government with the PDP but to go with the National Conference and that too unconditionally," she alleged.
Dulat's book, titled "The Chief Minister and the Spy", is slated to be released on April 18.
Mufti also claimed that one of the cornerstones of PDP's alliance with the BJP from 2015 to 2018 was that Article 370 will not be touched.
"In those two years and 10 months, Article 370 remained untouched," she said.
The PDP chief also spoke about the Waqf (Amendment) Act and "attacks" on mosques and shrines, saying graves were being dug up on the pretext that these were remnants of the Mughal empire.
"The signs of the Mughal empire are Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Fatehpur Sikri, which are flocked by millions of tourists every year.
"If you are looking for descendants of Mughals, they are not among us Muslims. They are somewhere around you... Because Mughals were kings and they did not marry into ordinary Muslim households but into princely states whose descendants are sitting around you," Mufti said.
Stating that the prime minister talks about the upliftment of Pasmanda Muslims, Mufti said, "I want to ask Modiji, is breaking down a madrassa in Madhya Pradesh or a 100-year-old mosque in Uttar Pradesh upliftment of Muslims?"
She also said that Muslims in the country should fight against the Waqf amendments peacefully.
"I request my fellow Muslims in India to fight against it (Waqf law) peacefully... What happened in Murshidabad was not good," she said.
On the perception that Muslims are being targeted in India, Mufti said they should not be treated in the same way as the terrorists treated Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
