What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti has said that she will continue to stay out of electoral politics as long as Article 370 that accords special status to Kashmir is not restored.
“I am never going to fight assembly elections as long as Article 370 is not restored. It’s more of an emotional issue for me,” Mufti was quoted as saying by a news agency.
Talking about PDP’s participation in the upcoming assembly elections in J&K, she said that the assembly elections are being delayed in the Union Territory as the centre is scared of having an elected government as then it won’t be able to pursue its “hidden agenda”.
She further stated, “Election schedule is not my priority. Right now, my priority is dealing with the difficulties people of Jammu and Kashmir are facing in the aftermath of the developments in 2019.”
“Whenever I took an oath (as J&K Chief Minister), it was under two constitutions, the Constitution of India and the Constitution of J&K with two flags at the same time,” Mufti said.
“Maybe it’s very foolish on my part but it’s more of an emotional issue,” she stated. She, however, did not rule out the prospect of fighting Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
In August 2019, the BJP-led government in the centre had revoked Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which granted a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir with an aim to fully integrate J&K with the rest of India. The move was opposed by various political parties, including Mufti’s PDP who since then is demanding the restoration of Article 370 and statehood.
Mufti was the last chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and was the last CM who had taken the oath under the J&K flag and the Tricolour. Her party had formed the government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She lost power in 2018 after BJP withdrew its support to her government.
