Mufti’s reaction came a day after NC’s vice-president Omar Abdullah on Monday appeared to agree with the assertions by former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik that BJP appointed Ram Madhav to stitch a post-poll alliance with PDP
Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday clarified that her party was not in touch with Ram Madhav whom Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed for J&K’s election campaign. She, instead, lashed out at the National Conference vice-president saying the PDP doesn’t do things in a hush-hush manner like Omar Abdullah would do.
Mufti’s reaction came a day after NC’s vice-president Omar Abdullah on Monday appeared to agree with the assertions by former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik that BJP appointed Ram Madhav to stitch a post-poll alliance with PDP. “We don’t do anything in a hush-hush manner. Ram Madhav might have come but we have no contact with him and perhaps it won’t even happen,” she told media.
Abdullah, in reaction to Malik’s statement, had on Monday said that it was Ram Madhav who was responsible for bringing BJP and PDP on a single platform last time. “He made the alliance (between the two parties in 2014-15) and that is why, perhaps, he has been brought back again,” he had said.
In a video interview to a news portal, whose clips went viral on social media in Kashmir, former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik had earlier said that RSS leader Madhav was brought back to J&K because BJP was facing a big loss in the region in the assembly elections and they are thinking of arriving at a compromise with Mehbooba Mufti after the elections like Madhav helped stitch an alliance with PDP in 2014.
Mehbooba said, “Everybody knew that and we did it openly. And we brought our agenda which was implemented. We don’t do it in a hush-hush manner like Omar Abdullah. Devender Rana (BJP leader formerly associated with NC) said it now (that Omar Abdullah allegedly wanted coalition with BJP in 2014-15) and before that Ghulam Nabi Azad had said that they (NC) would meet them (BJP) during the nights.”
“Rana is his (Omar’s) friend, knows him and when he says that Omar had gone to meet Amit Shah saying that they were ready to make a government with them without any conditions. We do everything openly during the day and announce it. We don’t hide anything,” she said.
Mufti said that PDP had joined hands with PM Modi last time thinking that he has come up with big mandate and will move forward the agenda of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “That is why I wrote a letter to separatists, the first J&K chief minister to do so, and invited them for talks. Which CM would have done so?,” she said.
Police harassing people in run up to assembly elections: Mufti
Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday alleged that police officers were harassing people on the pretext of overground workers (OGWs) in the run up to assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Once again, many people in the police department have become active and started harassing people in the name of OGWs and are arresting them. Last time during the Lok Sabha elections, many people were arrested 10-15 days before the elections,” she alleged.
Mufti requested the intervention of J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha. “Since you are saying that ‘there will be free and fair elections’ but your SHOs and SP have started harassing people here and asking them to visit police stations. I request you to direct them to stop these activities and stop harassing common people,” she said. Source
