Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said that the alliance between the National Conference (NC) and Congress for the upcoming assembly elections has no agenda and is based on seat sharing. Mehbooba said that her party will not contest elections under any such alliance which has no agenda and talks are being held only because of seat sharing.
Releasing her party’s manifesto at a press conference in Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti said that alliances and seat sharing are far-fetched things, if the National Conference and Congress are ready to adopt our agenda, we will say that they should contest on all seats. We will follow them. Because for me, solving the Kashmir problem is more important than anything else.
Mention of old alliance with BJP
Speaking about her party’s alliance with the BJP from 2014 to 2018, Mufti said that when we formed an alliance with the BJP, we had an agenda, which they agreed to. In the last assembly elections held in 2014, the BJP and the PDP formed a coalition government, in which Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became the Chief Minister. After Sayeed’s death in January 2016, Mehbooba Mufti replaced her father after a brief period of Governor’s rule. In June 2018, the BJP withdrew from the PDP-led coalition government, due to which the then Governor Satyapal Malik dissolved the Assembly in November 2018. Since then, there has been no assembly in Jammu and Kashmir.
Targeting National Conference and Congress
Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti criticized the alliance between National Conference (NC) and Congress. She said that the alliance between NC and Congress is not happening under the agenda. It is happening only on seat sharing. We will not make any such alliance in which there is only talk of seat sharing. The alliance should be on the agenda and our agenda is to solve the problem of Jammu and Kashmir.
Raised the issue of Hindu pilgrimage site Sharda Peeth
Mufti said that her party wants to open the route to Sharda Peeth, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and wants reconciliation and dialogue with Pakistan, she called for better relations between the people by opening the Line of Control (LoC) for citizens. Let us tell you that Sharda Peeth is a Hindu temple and was once considered a major center of higher education of Vedic works, scriptures. Sharda Peeth, one of the 18 highly revered temples in South Asia, was once at par with the ancient centers of education in Nalanda and Takshashila. Kashmiri Pandits consider the temple important because of their cultural heritage and the glory of their land since ancient times. In 2018, Mehbooba Mufti wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting to open the route to Sharda Peeth for Kashmiri Pandits.
Elections will be held in three phases in Jammu and Kashmir
Elections for the 90 assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The results will be declared on October 4.
