Mehbooba kick-starts election campaign from south Kashmir

Pulwama/ Shopian, Apr 16: People's Democratic Party ( PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday kick-started poll campaign from south Kashmir's Pulwama town by organising a mega road show.

As part of her road show, Mehbooba visited over half a dozen villages including Zainapora, Melhura, Heff Shirmal and Turkwangam where she addressed a number of public rallies. Draped in PDP flags, the enthusiastic party workers raised slogans in support of the PDP and the party leaders contesting the polls.

A few years ago, these villages were worst hit by militancy and were more or less off-limits for the political leaders. In 2019, Lok Sabha elections, the administration had to press choppers into service to ferry the poll material to these villages.

Addressing a rally at Malhura , Mehbooba said that these Lok Sabha elections were fought for amplifying the voices of poor, disadvantaged and oppressed in the parliament. She urged the voters to come out in large numbers and cast their ballots.

"I am not sure if there will be any elections after these polls”, the PDP chief expressed her apprehensions. She said that the current dispensation had turned Kashmir into an open jail, where those who dare to speak up find themselves behind the bars.

PDP President exhorted upon the workers to preserve their linguistic identity by teaching mother tongue to their children." While they will learn Urdu and English in schools, ensure you teach them Kashmiri at your homes," she said.

Mehbooba said that the current dispensation were attempting to dispossess people of their land and jobs, but language is something that they themselves could revive and preserve. Talking to reporters in Pulwama, Mehbooba said that over the last five years the region had experienced an atmosphere of suppression and enforced silence.

"Following the announcement of elections, the arrest sprees have reignited," she said. Mehbooba, who is vying for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, condemned the recent attack on a non-local tourist guide in Shopian. However, she said that it did not mean that the youth would be arbitrary picked up and detained. “People cannot raise their voice or express themselves freely. I have started my election campaign against this suppression,” said Mehbooba.

She said that the people of Pulwama and Shopian had always supported the party and she hoped that they would help the party in the upcoming polls.