NC blames PDP for everything, just like BJP blames Nehru: Iltija Mufti

Bijbehara, Jun 04: “The National Conference is blaming the People’s Democratic Party for everything happening in Jammu and Kashmir, just like the Bharatiya Janata Party blames (India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal) Nehru,” the PDP leader Iltija Mufti said on Wednesday. She accused the NC of forgetting its promises after coming to power.
“Just like the BJP blames Nehru, the NC is angry that whatever is happening (in J&K) is because of the PDP,” Iltija said while speaking to reporters in Bijbehara, where she kickstarted the party’s membership drive in the presence of PDP workers and supporters.
She said PDP wants to reach every house, every neighbourhood, not just in Bijbehara or Anantnag, but in the whole of south, north and central Kashmir. “So we are here for just the first step. Look, we are trying, and you know that every Jamaat has its own political journey,” she said.
Mufti added, “We don’t always stay on top. Today, those in government were also sitting in the opposition somewhere or the other. So just because you come to a stage when you are in the opposition does not mean you are down and out.”
She said PDP has always played a strong and constructive role in opposition. “PDP is still a very new party. It was founded in 1999. Still, you see how well it has done over the years. In a very short span of time, it has achieved considerable success. So yes, I admit, in this election, we did not perform well. But this is our effort that, God willing, we reach our pinnacle and reach great heights again,” she remarked.
Iltija said NC has “locked its lips”. During elections, they used to talk about Article 370, special status, reservation and free gas cylinders; now they have kept their lips closed on every issue, she said.
“On June 10th, their report on rationalisation of reservation was to be out but isn’t visible yet. On Waqf, they didn’t utter anything. They just have lust for power and forget everything when they come to power,” she said.
On PM Modi’s scheduled inauguration of the Kashmir rail line, the PDP leader said, “It’s a step we should appreciate. But whenever you establish a railway—we have seen it here in Anantnag near Pahalgam also—they wanted to establish a rail track through orchards. So we should be more mindful. Kashmir is ecologically very fragile, but it is a welcome step.”
She added, “This journey is very inconvenient for passengers. They may have to get off in Katra and have security checks, etc. There is a long delay of 2–3 hours. These things should be looked into.”
About the PDP’s recent document on the return of Kashmiri Pandits, Iltija said, “When the PDP came to power, we worked for Kashmiri Pandits. The letter we recently gave to LG is a great step. Kashmiriyat is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits.”
Asked about the 2014 PDP-BJP alliance and NC’s criticism, she responded, “Why do you go back 11 years and time travel? Let’s talk about today. The government in power today, despite having 50 MLAs, are knocking on the door of the BJP. Why question us?”