Three days after PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s remark on national flag, three senior leader from Jammu submitted their resignation saying her remarks on the national flag had “hurt patriotic sentiments”
TS Bajwa, Ved Mahajan and Hussain A Waffa sent a two page combined resignation letter to party chief Mehbooba Mufti whose 14 months Public Safety Act (PSA) detention got over earlier this month. The leaders said they were “feeling quite uncomfortable” over some of her recent statements and actions.
“We are feeling quite uncomfortable over some of your actions, especially which hurt patriotic sentiments…instead of overcoming the obstacles from within by a process of broader consultations and trust, some elements within the party pulling the party in a particular direction, therefore deviating from the basic principles, agenda and philosophy, making it difficult to face the sensible voices of the society ,” the letter said.
According to them some of the actions and bitterness were “unforgivable” and would not be forgotten by the public at a time when party needed to move in fundamental direction and “regain its image”. They said, “therefore, we feel uncomfortable and suffocated in the party, forcing us to take this harsh step of leaving the party”.
Mehbooba Mufti was one of the detained political leaders in August last year when Jammu and Kashmir’s special status ended under Article 370 and bifurcated it into two union territories. Targeting the BJP- led central government mufti said, “they themselves violated the constitution…what do they expect from us? our flag is this (referring to j&k’s flag) and our relations with country’s flag have been established by this.”
The former J&K Chief Minister on Friday, in conversation with the media for the first time since her release said she would not fly the national flag until the special status was rolled back. Referring the central government as “robbers”, she demanded that Jammu and Kashmir’s separate flag be restored.
A “tiranga march” was held by by BJP in jammu and Kashmir to protest against her comments. Two flag marches were held- one in Srinagar and another in Jammu. It featured bullet proof cars with national flag and police jeeps escorting them. In context to BJP’s tricolor rally, PDP leader, Firdaus Tak tweeted, “ we don’t need a certificate of nationalism from the Godse brigade who have always discredited and dishonored the flag and constitution of this country…”
Mehbooba mufti is a member of “people’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration”, a group formed by Jammu and kashmir’s parties to fight for the restoration of Article 370. The alliance group seeks dialogue between all stakeholders for a resolution.
On Saturday, the people’s alliance announced national conference leader Farooq Abdullah as its chairman and Mehbooba Mufti as its deputy chairperson. Farooq Abdullah asserted that the seven party alliance was anti-BJP not anti-national.
