SRINAGAR: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has stressed upon all opposition parties to fight a collective battle against the BJP’s ploy to weaken the federal structure of India.
Lamenting over what she termed as opposition parties’ silence over abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir and its split in two federally governed territories, the PDP chief said the experiment BJP did on Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 is now being done in other States of India. She said that all opposition parties of India need to be united to fight against the BJP led dispensation’s ploy to weaken the federal structure of India. Mehbooba said that she also wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamta Banerjee insisting her to join collective battle against BJPs plans. “Unfortunately the experiment done on Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 is now being done in other parts of the country.
All opposition parties maintained silence when J&K’s special status was scrapped and the State was divided. Now opposition parties need to be united to fight BJPs ploy to weaken the federal structure of India,” Mehbooba told reporters outside PDP headquarters. She said the BJP led dispensation at Centre also wants to make State Governments ‘powerless’ like the way New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was left. Reacting over limited trade resumption between India and Pakistan, the PDP chief said dialogue is futile until Jammu and Kashmir is not included in Confidence Building Measures between the two sides.
She also demanded that trade link via Muzaffarabad and Rawlakote be also restored. “Any dialogue vis-à-vis trade between India and Pakistan passes through Jammu and Kashmir, hence dialogue is futile unless Jammu and Kashmir is not included in CBMs.
Muzaffarabad and Rawlakote trade should also be resumed,” Mehbooba added.
