Mehbooba expresses gratitude to Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka CMs

Srinagar, Apr 12: Extending gratitude to the chief ministers (CMs) of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said the trio has taken a "courageous and principled stand" against the Waqf Amendment Act.

Mehbooba  sent across identical letters to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu's M K Stalin and Karnataka's Siddaramaiah. In a post on microblogging site X, she said, "I have written to @MamataOfcial ji, @mkstalin ji & @siddaramaiah ji expressing heartfelt gratitude for their courageous & principled stand against the Waqf Amendment Bill. In today's India where dissent of any kind is increasingly criminalised their unequivocal voices come as a breath of fresh air."

"As residents of Jammu and Kashmir -- the only Muslim-majority region in the country -- we need solace and inspiration in your unwavering stance in these dark and challenging times," Mehbooba wrote. She also posted copies of the letters on her X handle.

"For over a decade, India has faced a growing majoritarian tide threatening its core values of plurality and diversity. While most citizens reject this agenda, those promoting hatred and division now hold power targeting our Constitution, institutions and secular fabric," she said.

"Minorities, particularly Muslims, have borne the brunt, most recently through the arbitrary enforcement of new Waqf laws which undermine our religious freedoms," Mehbooba said in the letters. She said these actions "echo earlier injustices" such as the abrogation of special status and "dismemberment" of Jammu and Kashmir and reflect a "broader pattern of systemic erosion of rights".