Deputy CM blames PDP for loss of J&K’s statehood, special status

Pulwama, Jul 10: Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Kumar Chaudhry on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), accusing it of being directly responsible for the loss of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and special constitutional status.Addressing media persons in Pampore town of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district after attending an entrepreneurship and start-up meet, Chaudhry alleged that it was the PDP which paved the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to make sweeping constitutional changes in the region.He said Jammu and Kashmir lost its statehood and special status because of the PDP. “It was their partnership with the BJP that led to the downgrade of the state into a Union Territory,” Chaudhry said.The NC leader demanded an explanation from the PDP leadership on why Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its constitutional safeguards under Article 370 and Article 35A, and why it was reduced from a full-fledged state to a Union Territory.“Before talking about schemes, the PDP should first answer to the people for these changes,” he said, accusing the party of political opportunism.The Dy CM alleged that the PDP’s close ties with the BJP were not just a thing of the past, claiming that even today, there were “behind-the-scenes stories” playing out between the two parties. “Don’t think there’s nothing going on beneath the surface. The PDP still gets its script from the BJP in New Delhi by night, deciding what they should say the next day. This is not PDP’s own language—it is the BJP’s language,” he remarked.Chaudhry further said that the “theatrics” played by the PDP over the years have backfired, reducing the party’s influence to merely three constituencies.He even refused to accept PDP as a strong opposition, saying he doesn’t find the party existing on the ground.