Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti attended a youth convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) here today.
As some political parties and fringe groups are politicising the rape and murder of eight-year-old girl in Kathua, Mehbooba, in a veiled attack on her coalition partner BJP, said the gruesome act was being given a communal colour.
“In Kathua, a big incident happened when an eight-year-old was raped and killed. However, unfortunately today that is being given a religious colour,” Mehbooba said.
She asked the youth to defeat the nefarious designs of the people who were hell bent upon hurting the peace in Jammu. “I am hopeful that the people of Jammu will continue to maintain the peace,” Mehbooba added.
“The Sunjuwan attack was also an attack on the peace and harmony between the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of Jammu. The youth should be aware of all these acts of divisions,” the CM said.
Meanwhile, commenting on the situation in the state, the she said despite being rich in resources, J&K continues to lag behind in development and other sectors. “We want to open schools and colleges in border areas but due to shelling we have to construct bunkers. Similarly, we want development in the Valley but due to infiltration we have to deal with militancy first,” she added. “However, there is only one solution to this problem and that is to open all borders so that J&K is exposed to other parts of the world,” she said, adding, “No one can take or give land and opening routes is the only solution.”
Meanwhile, Amid the controversy over the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua district, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today made a veiled attack on coalition partner PDP for playing ‘politics’ on the issue.
Interacting with mediapersons, Nirmal Singh staunchly defended his two party colleagues in the government who had addressed a meeting of locals agitating for the past month demanding handing over the highly sensitive case to the CBI for a free and fair trial. “Those trying to politicise this gruesome crime are actually creating hurdles in providing justice to the victim,” the Deputy Chief Minister said without naming the PDP and the Opposition NC. He said some vested interests were trying to rake up sentiments of people by giving a communal twist to the ongoing agitation of locals. Defending the visit of his party colleagues, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Our ministers had gone to meet locals who were demanding justice to the minor girl without any bias or harassment of innocent people.”
