Jammu: Lambasting PDP president Mehbooba Mufti for her reference to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan to call upon the government to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh has said she is daydreaming and that her wishes will never come true.
Calling Mehbooba’s remarks as “anti-national”, Chugh said “Jammu and Kashmir has outright rejected her Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Gupkar Gang”, referring to the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration — an alliance of some mainstream Jammu and Kashmir parties.
Referring to popular TV series ‘Mungerilal ke Haseen Sapne’, Chugh said, “Mungerilal was dreaming at night, but Mehbooba Mufti does it in the day. They will never come true.”
Addressing her party workers earlier this month, Mehbooba had asked the Centre to take a lesson out of Afghanistan where the Taliban seized power and made the US flee, and urged the government to hold dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir and return its special status which was revoked in 2019.
Referring to the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan, the former chief minister warned the Centre “to not test us” and asked the government to “mend its ways, understand the situation, and see what is happening in your neighbourhood.”
Reacting to her remarks, BJP leader Chugh said, “It was J&K’s misfortune that these dynasties (PDP and National Conference) killed development here and whenever public solicited response they started speaking in the language of China and Pakistan. Now they are talking about Taliban. It is a nation run by (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji. Anyone who does any misadventure will be taught a lesson. Pakistan has been already taught a lesson.”
He said that “nepotism of the PDP and the National Conference (NC) has murdered democracy in J&K”.
He said Jammu and Kashmir is “fast transforming into a tourism capital from terrorism capital”.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president J P Nadda, J&K is fast transforming into ‘tourism capital from terrorism capital’. Development and safety of J&K is the commitment of Modi-ji and the BJP is working to reach the target,” he said.
Chugh also said that Malvinder Mali quitting as an adviser of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu was a “poor eyewash” enacted by the opposition party.
He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Sidhu need to answer on the statements made by Mali.
Chugh said Sidhu has not distanced himself from any of Mali’s public statements showing Sidhu agreed with whatever Mali said “against the interest of the nation”.
Chugh said the Congress’ “pro-Pakistan” stance has been jeopardising the nation’s fight against the “ISI-sponsored disruptive and separatist forces.”
Under fire for his controversial comments on Kashmir, Mali Friday quit as the adviser to Sidhu.
In a recent social media post, Mali had waded into the issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
He had reportedly said if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A.
He had also said, “Kashmir is a country of Kashmiri people.” (With PTI inputs)
