No secular govt can be formed without the support of PDP in J&K: Mehbooba

Rajouri, Sept 19: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said no secular government would be formed in Jammu and Kashmir without the support of her party.

Addressing an election rally in support of party candidates in Rajouri town ahead of second phase of polling on September 25, she accused BJP of exploiting Pahari and Gujjar communities on the name of reservation and scheduled tribe status.

“PDP is going to emerge as the largest party in its bastion of south Kashmir. I want to tell you that no secular government can be formed without the support of our party,” the former chief minister said.

She said BJP is trying to exploit the Gujjars and Paharis in the name of reservation and schedule tribe status.

“They have not done a favour to the Pahari community by providing ST status. All the chief ministers of J-K including Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and myself raised the issue and the issue of reservations with the central governments from time to time."

“They are exploiting the grant of status and reservation to divide the communities and garner their votes even as it was their responsibility to meet the demand of the people,” she said, cautioning the communities not to get swayed by BJP’s propaganda and vote wisely to support secular forces.

“Every day mosques are being demolished and people lynched on the pretext of slaughtering cows under the BJP rule. We have not faced such a situation in J-K but it is happening outside,” the PDP leader said, adding BJP lost the Lok Sabha election from Adyodhya because the people were not happy over the demolition drive for construction of roads for the temple.

She also accused the BJP of breaking her party after the collapse of the PDP-BJP government in 2018 and said “we have to stand together to defeat their divisive politics”.

Mehbooba also took potshots at National Conference and Congress for their alliance and said they came together in 1987 and allegedly rigged the elections as a result of which “we are still digging the graves for our youth because they picked up the gun to express their anger.”

“The two parties again joined hands in 2008 and another Kashmiri (Afzal Guru) was hanged (in February 2013). They came together this time and I don’t know what will be its consequences,” she said.

Seeking votes for the party candidates, she highlighted various developmental projects undertaken by the PDP-led government from 2015 to 2018 including opening of Mughal road to connect the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri with south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

“We have to do a lot for this region, especially for our unemployed youth who are frustrated and taking drugs. Strengthen our hands so that we can transform this region further,” she said.